Ignite
by ExtraSteps
Summary: Liam discovers that Theo has been living out of his car. He and Mason decide to do something about it. Cue: Operation Theo.
1. Chapter 1

Liam had not really spared any thought as to what had happened to Theo when his dead sister dragged him into the ground. He had dusted his hands off, called it a win and moved on. Not only had Theo manipulated him, but he had placed everyone that Liam had cared about in harm's way time and time again. Also, he had had much more pleasant things to think about, like the soft sounds Hayden made when he kissed her neck.

But then they needed Theo, and he brought him back. Against his better instincts he had confronted his alpha and fought for Theo, convincing Scott not to kill him. They needed information from him and even though there was probably another way to get Theo to talk, Liam broke the sword that could imprison him again, overwhelmed by the stink of fear and panic that had swirled around the other boy.

The relief in his eyes as the sword shattered and he took a shaky breath pulled at Liam. It was then that he started to wonder.

Theo had been a kid when the Dread Doctors got their hands on him. They had twisted him, experimented on him, manipulated him. Perhaps he had merely been a product of his environment. He waived this idea with Hayden.

'He was just pure evil. Like calls to like,' she smirked. And she had forgotten about it moments later. But he hadn't been able to shake it off that easily.

When they fought the Ghost Riders, Theo had kept his promise to give them information. He had saved Liam by pushing him in the elevator and shutting him in, taking on the Riders all by himself. Somehow, he had survived that and appeared just in time, his shirt ripped to shreds and looking bruised and battered. Again, he took on the Ghost Rider to give Liam a chance to get the horse and ride away. Why was he protecting Liam all of a sudden? Had he just been grateful to Liam for not sending him back into the ground?

With the Ghost Riders defeated and Hayden gone, Liam had a lot of spare time on his hands. He started to collect information, sorting and collating it in his mind, building a clear picture of Theo and who he really was.

Pre-underground Theo had been a manipulative and calculating jerk, caring only about himself and his wish for power. But when Liam looked back at it now, Theo had really just been looking for control, a way to break free from the Dread Doctors by being stronger than them, stronger than anyone else. He had been scared.

On his return he was still scared, but somewhere along the line he had decided that Liam was someone he needed to protect. Even though he was snarky and a coward, he was there when it counted, eyes flashing and claws extended as he put his life on the line for Liam's sake.

Walking early one morning Liam hears a loud tapping noise and a groan. The ignition of a car starts up and Theo is pulling out onto the street in his SUV, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Liam frowns, looking after him. He continues his walk, his ears picking up the low voice of the police officer on his two-way.

'Moved the boy in the SUV on again, that's the third time this week,' he says.

This only serves to pique his interest even more. Why wasn't Theo living at home with his parents?

'Hey Scott, what happened to Theo's parents?' Liam asks the next day, seemingly out of the blue.

'He didn't have any,' Scott says with a frown. 'I think he was paying someone to pretend to be his parents. That's what Stiles said anyway.' He waves at Liam and wanders off, and Liam mentally adds another entry.

Theo didn't have parents, or a home to live in. His only living relative, his sister, was dead, or something, and now he was living out of his car. Homeless. It didn't sit right, making his insides squirm with a flutter of pity.

Being seventeen years old, there wasn't really a great deal he could do about giving Theo somewhere to live. If he told her what was happening, his mum would let Theo use their spare room, but he thought that the older boy would probably be too proud to accept.

What could he do to convince him?

Mason was the only one to notice how preoccupied he was.

"Hey man, what's going on?" He asked, slipping onto the bench next to Liam, who had been staring off into space, brooding.

"Nothing," he said with a weary sigh.

"Sure," Mason said, "that is the sigh of nothing. I recognise it clearly."

Liam fiddled with his phone, not looking at his friend. More and more lately he had been feeling useless. Scott had finally left for college, Stiles had left again for the FBI, Lydia was off studying something that was way above Liam's head, and the rest of the pack had drifted off to newer and better things as well. He was already feeling the pressure of being in charge. Even if he had felt nothing but hatred for Theo, helping him was Liam's responsibility. And he felt a great deal more than that.

"Liam," Mason prodded. "I can't smell your emotions, but I know when something is wrong. Tell me what it is. Maybe I can help."

"I just-" Liam said, then stopping with a sigh as he tried to piece his thoughts together, "it's Theo."

"Theo? What about him?" Mason asked, frowning.

"Did you know he was living out of his car?" Liam said, finally turning to look at Mason.

"No, are you serious?" Mason sputtered, shock written clearly on his features. "Scott didn't find him somewhere to live?"

"I don't think Scott knows. I asked him about Theo's parents and he said that were fake," Liam said, biting his lip. "I feel like I need to do something. He's a dick, but he helped us out so much and no one deserves to live like that, especially not someone…"

"Someone…?" Mason prompted.

Someone I like, Liam thought.

"Someone in my pack," he said instead. Mason nodded, but his eyes pierced into Liam's soul, searching for the truth. Liam averted his eyes, not quite ready to admit that something had been growing in his chest for the other boy, something warm, something terrifying.

"What are you going to do?" Mason asked eventually.

"I don't know. I don't think my mum would mind if he stayed with us, but I feel like he would shoot that down," Liam explained.

"Hmm," Mason frowned. "Maybe if you started out really slow."

"What do you mean?" Liam asked.

"Like, invite him to hang out with us more, get him used to being around. Then you can ask him when he feels a bit more comfortable with us," Mason explained.

Liam thought about it. They only really saw Theo during a crisis. It was the main reason that no one had noticed that he was homeless in the first place. Maybe hanging out with him a little more often wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"That sounds like a good idea," he said after awhile. "We should hang out more with him anyway, he is in the pack after all."

"Exactly," Mason agreed. "Call him now. Invite him to hang out with us after school."

"What- now?" Liam said, his mouth gaping open.

"Yeah, why not? You want to help, and no time like the present," Mason said, smiling.

Liam shrugged but pulled his phone out of his pocket. He scrolled down to Theo's name in his contact list and pressed it. It rang three times before Theo picked up.

"Hey, baby wolf, what's wrong?" Theo answered.

"Don't call me that," Liam growled, clenching his hand around the phone. He caught Mason's gaze, who was looking at him with a hint of disapproval. Liam sighed. "Sorry, nothing's wrong. Just wondering if you were free this afternoon."

There was a long pause.

"So, just to clarify, no one is dying, you just want to know if I have plans?" Theo asked, sounding amused.

"Yeah," Liam said, rolling his eyes at Mason. "Mason and I are gonna hang out, maybe play some Halo and grab a pizza. Want to join us?"

"Uh, sure," Theo said. "Why not?"

"Cool, see you later then," Liam said, feeling very awkward.

"Bye," Theo said, immediately hanging up the phone.

"See, you did it, Liam," Mason said, throwing his arms wide, a big grin on his face.

"I guess I did," Liam replied. He shook his head, a wry smile dancing on his lips.

"Step one in Operation Theo is complete," Mason joked.

"We're not calling it that," Liam argued.


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the day dragged on, but finally the bell did go, and Liam almost ran to Mason's car. He waited impatiently, tapping his foot as he leaned against the door, his eyes scanning the crowd for his friend. Eventually, he strolled up, hand in hand with Corey.

"Eager much?" Mason teased, pulling out his keys and unlocking the car.

"Shut up," Liam said, ducking his head as he got in the car to hide his slight blush. "Are you coming with us, Corey?"

"Yeah, it will be good to see Theo again," Corey said quietly.

Corey had once been a part of Theo's pack, and even though he had been intimidated by the chimera, Liam knew that Corey had a bit of a soft spot for Theo. Unlike everyone else, he had always been able to see past Theo's bullshit. He had only bailed on him because of his growing feelings for Mason.

Liam worried at his lip as he stared out the window, ignoring the conversation between Mason and Corey. He wanted so badly to be able to help Theo. He still felt so guilty for how he had treated Theo in the past, even if he had pretty much brought it on himself. Liam should have been smarter though.

Back then, he had still been getting the hang of the whole chemo-signal thing. It had confused him, trying to differentiate between physical and emotional scents.

He remembers stalking Theo through the preserve, Stiles getting frustrated when he replies that Theo smells nice. Liam smiles faintly at the memory, especially with had had happened when Theo confronted them.

"Why do I get the feeling this kid is tougher than he looks?"

Theo had always acknowledged him, even if it was to tease him and get under his skin. Even when he had been trying to get Liam to kill Scott, it had been clear that he knew just what Liam was capable of, how strong he was. His plan had nearly worked.

Liam was pulled from his thoughts, by Mason waving a hand in front of his voice.

"Hello, Earth to Liam, we're here space cadet," the other boy teased.

"Oops, sorry," Liam chuckled, shaking his head.

Theo hadn't arrived yet, so they quickly fell into playing Halo, laughing and yelling insults as they played against each other.

"Eat lead," Liam chortled as Mason's character fell to the ground, having come around a corner right into Liam's line of sight.

"I'll get you next time," Mason vowed, growling at Liam.

The doorbell rang, and Liam disconnected his controller, launching off the couch to answer the door.

He opened the door to find Theo standing there, looking uncomfortable, both hands tucked into his pockets. He was rocking slightly on his heels, showing how nervous he was. The anxiety was coming off him in waves.

At least he turned up, Liam thought.

"Hey, you made it," Liam said, smiling at Theo.

"Sorry I'm late," Theo said, looking him in the eye and giving a shy smile.

"You're not late," Liam replied, standing aside to let the other boy pass, "we've only been here for about ten minutes."

"Nice house," Theo said, looking around as Liam lead him to the lounge room.

"Thanks," Liam laughed, shooting a smile over his shoulder at the other boy. He wanted to make Theo feel comfortable here, like it was his home. "You want a drink?"

"Do you have coke zero?" Theo asked, standing at the door of the kitchen and leaning against the frame.

"Yeah, mum loves it," Liam said, grabbing one from the fridge and handing it to Theo. He brushed past, his chest sliding against Theo's as he did so. Theo's heart skipped a beat, but Liam pretended to ignore it. Getting Theo used to casual touch was on the list that he and Mason had created during Biology.

They walked into the lounge room, stopping to watch as Corey scoped Mason from a tall building and shot him. He groaned, dropping his controller into his lap while Corey laughed at him.

"It is just not your day," Liam teased, settling back in next to the other boy. The only other place free in the lounge room was next to Liam. He waited to see what Theo would do.

He approached cautiously, but instead of sitting on the couch, he sat on the floor, leaning against it, his shoulder only an inch away from Liam's leg.

Not quite what I had in mind, Liam thought, but good enough.

It felt natural to include Theo, as they alternated between laughing and swearing revenge, chopping and changing teams regularly so that it stayed fair. Theo was pretty good at Halo, and Liam found he enjoyed being on his team the most. The other boy moved a bit closer, pressing against Liam's leg, and the warmth of the contact radiated up Liam's leg and into his chest.

Eventually, they settled on the two teams, with Liam and Theo against Mason and Corey. Theo moved up onto the couch so that he could hiss strategy into Liam's ear as they worked together to bring the other two down.

Liam shivered at the feel of Theo's breath on his face.

It started getting late, so Liam ordered a few pizzas and they put Halo away to watch a movie instead. Liam was pleased to see that Theo stayed on the couch, brushing against Liam's shoulder as he laughed during the movie, and leaning in front of Liam to share jokes with Mason and Corey.

It was… nice. Contentment flowed through all four boys, and Liam was quietly thrilled with how well this was working.

By about eight o'clock, Mason and Liam decided to go home, and Liam waved them off, returning to find Theo sprawled on the couch, flicking through his phone. Liam smiled and flopped onto the other couch with a groan. They were quiet for awhile, both lost in their own thoughts.

"I'm glad you came," Liam said, interrupting the silence.

Theo twisted so that he was lying on his stomach, looking at Liam. "Me too," he said, a soft look on his face that made Liam's stomach flutter with nervous butterflies.

"You should hang out with us more often," Liam said earnestly. "It would be nice to see you when there isn't some sort of emergency."

"Yeah?" Theo asked.

"Yeah," Liam nodded. They stared at each other, both smiling.

"It's nice," Theo said after a minute, looking down, suddenly a bit shy.

"What is?" Liam questioned, leaning forward slightly.

"I almost feel like part of the pack," Theo said, sounding a little wistful.

Liam shook his head, and Theo looked up at him concerned, but Liam just gave him a rueful grin. "You idiot, of course you're part of the pack."

"Scott probably wouldn't agree," Theo muttered.

"Scott left me in charge," Liam growled, "so I say who's in the pack. You're one of mine." His eyes glowed yellow as he stared at Theo possessively.

Theo looked shocked, and then suddenly laughed. "Alright, calm down, big guy. I guess I can be in your little puppy pack if you really want me that much."

Liam could tell he was trying to diffuse the tension with humour, and he moved forwards until he was touching Theo's shoulder.

"Hey," he said softly. "I mean it. You're pack."

Theo looked at him, uncertainty painted all over his face. His eyes searched deep into Liam's, seeing only belief and acceptance.

"I've done so many bad things to you, Liam. Why would you want me?" Theo said quietly. He looked so ashamed, and he pulled away from Liam's touch, sitting up and facing slightly away from him.

"You've changed, Theo," Liam said firmly. "And you will always be welcome in my pack."

Theo looked down, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Thanks," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. Liam gave him a minute as the other boy struggled with his emotions, happiness and sadness and shame swirling through the air around him. Theo sniffed, willing back tears, and rubbed at his eyes, frustrated. When he had calmed down, Liam got up quietly and went and got them both another drink.

"Thanks," he said again, accepting the drink.

"You're welcome," Liam said.

You'll always be welcome, Liam thought, watching the other boy from the corner of his eye as he put in another movie. I won't ever let you feel worthless, or like you're not wanted.

He turned off the lights and settled in next to Theo. In the darkness, Theo felt brave enough to rest against his side, leaning against him for support. Liam smiled, and his wolf rumbled in his chest, content.


	3. Chapter 3

Liam drifted off to sleep halfway during the movie, the stress of juggling school work, alpha duties and worrying about Theo all catching up to him.

He woke up a few hours later to his mum gently shaking his shoulder.

"Liam, come on baby, wake up. You and your friend will be far more comfortable in beds," she whispered.

Liam blinked, rubbing at his eyes with one hand. He squinted up at his mum, who was smiling. He thanked her quietly and she tiptoed away.

Liam turned slightly to look at Theo, who was sprawled in a very undignified manner on Liam's chest. Liam smiled fondly, charmed by the innocent and unguarded look on his face.

"Theo," he said quietly, running a hand through his hair. The other boy woke suddenly, his eyes flying open and he looked around, confused. "Hey, you're still at my place."

"What time is it?" Theo asked, his shoulders dropping.

"Dunno, late," Liam said with a shrug.

"Sorry," Theo said. "I didn't mean to stay so late."

"Don't be silly," Liam said, still stroking Theo's hair. "I don't mind at all."

"Still, I should go," Theo replied.

"At this hour? Like hell!" Liam said fiercely. "You're staying here." No fucking way was he letting the other boy leave just to go sleep in his truck.

"Uhhh," Theo said, suddenly taking in his position on top of Liam, and the feeling of Liam's hand carding through his hair.

"We have a spare room," Liam chuckled. "Mum is probably making it up for you right now."

"Oh," Theo said, slowly pulling away and sitting up. "That's nice of her."

"It's no big deal," Liam said with a smile. "She'd do the same for any of my friends."

He got to his feet and walked out of the room, with Theo close behind him. They walked into his room, and Liam grabbed a towel and chucked it at Theo. "You can shower first if you want," gesturing to the ensuite.

"Oh, yeah thanks," Theo said, and he walked in and shut the door.

Liam flopped onto his bed, grinning wide as he heard the shower start up. It was only the first day and he had made so much progress. Theo was already staying the night. If he kept inviting him over, eventually Theo would be all but living here. There was no way that Liam's mum would allow anything else once she heard that Theo was homeless.

As if hearing his thoughts, she knocked quietly on the door and poked her head in. "Hey," she said, "spare room is made up."

"Thanks mum," Liam said.

"So, who's your friend?" She asked. "I don't think I've met him before."

"His name is Theo Raeken," Liam replied. "He's friends with Scott and Stiles. We've been hanging out with him a bit since they both left for college."

"That's nice of you boys, including him," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, he doesn't really have any family around or anything like that. He's a good guy," Liam informed her. She frowned slightly, looking at the door to the shower. Liam smirked, knowing that her mothering instinct was definitely engaged.

"Alright, I'll leave you boys be. Your dad will be at work in the morning, but I don't work until late, so I'll make breakfast, ok?" She said.

"Awesome, can we have pancakes? And bacon?" Liam asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Of course," she grinned. "Good night, Liam."

"Night, mum," he said. She shut the door with a click and Liam grabbed his phone. He had missed a few texts from Mason.

Hey, how is it going? 9:00pm

Dude, is he still there? 9:05pm

Liam? 9:26pm

You haven't replied so I assume you're dead. He is burying your body in the woods as we speak 9:52pm

I swear to god I'm calling Scott 10:37pm

Liam laughed. The time on his phone read 10:59. He shot off a quick text to Mason.

I'm fine. We were watching a movie and fell asleep 10:59pm

Thank god. Literally one more minute and I was actually going to drive to your house 11:00pm

Drama queen 11:00pm

He put his phone on the charger and got off the bed with a groan, walking over to his dresser to find some clean sweats to wear after his shower. Liam heard the shower shut off and then a minute later Theo walked out, towel wrapped around his waist.

Liam tried very hard not to look at smooth, muscled expanse of Theo's chest. Theo flicked his hair out of his eyes, sending a few droplets of water dripping down over his pecs. Liam swallowed hard as his eyes tracked them down.

"Enjoying the view?" Theo asked, quirking up one eyebrow.

Liam didn't reply, just looking away and Theo cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable when Liam didn't rise to the bait.

"Do you have a pair of boxers or something I can wear?" Theo asked.

"Yeah, here," Liam said, throwing him the sweats he was holding in his hands.

"Cheers," Theo said, turning to go back into the bathroom.

Liam watched him walk away, realising very suddenly that perhaps he was not as straight as he had previously thought, because damn.

Theo walked back out in Liam's sweats, and Liam tried to be a bit subtler in his appreciation. The other boy was a bit musclier that Liam was, so the sweats were tighter on him than they were on his own body. It was a good look for him.

"Your room is just down the hall," Liam said, dragging his eyes away from Theo's ripped body and leading him back out of Liam's room. He flicked the light on, illuminating the tidy room that was half spare room and half study, filled with medical journals and a large desk.

"Thanks," Theo said, looking at the bed with the quiet longing and desperation of someone who hadn't slept in a bed in a long time.

"No problem," Liam replied. He hovered in the door, reluctant to leave. "You need anything else?"

"Nah, I'm good," Theo said, smiling.

"See you in the morning, then," Liam said.

"Good night," Theo said, flopping down onto the bed with a happy sigh.

"Night," Liam said, leaving the boy's room and shutting the door.

He walked back to his own room and shut his own door, turning to lean against it with a sigh. He let his head thud back against the door as mixed feelings fluttered though his body.

Where the fuck did that come from? He thought, his mind replaying the image of Theo in his room in only a towel again and again and again. Liam had never had any thoughts like that about another boy. His first crush had been on Malia, and then he had been in a relationship with Hayden. Liking a boy was definitely new.

But then, he had no issue with Mason or Corey being with each other. The few times that he and Mason had talked about sexuality when Mason had first come out, they had both concluded that love was love and had nothing to do with the outer package.

And now he was thinking about Theo's package.

He groaned, pulling away from the door and walking into the bathroom. Steam hung in the air, and clinging to it was the smell of his body wash and Theo's scent. Liam inhaled deeply, and his half-formed erection twitched as all the blood in his body rushed south.

He stripped off his clothes, chucking them down on the floor to join Theo's. Liam turned on the faucet, and he jumped in as soon as it was warm enough.

At first, he tried to ignore his erection as he washed his hair. It wouldn't be right to jack off in the shower with Theo sleeping in the next room. But it was impossible to ignore the throbbing heat between his legs, especially with the other boy's scent swirling through the air.

With a muttered curse he gave in, and he braced one arm against the wall, letting the water pound onto his back as he took his length in his hand, pumping it slowly.

Closing his eyes, he sighed as he slipped into a fantasy.

Instead of chucking the sweats to Theo, he had dropped them on the ground, stalking towards the other boy. Theo had looked surprised as he leaned forward to lick every single drop of water from his chest. Theo had growled, and Liam could feel the rumble against his lips before he was pulled away and up to meet Theo's lips with his own. They kissed furiously, passionately, their mouths gripping, their tongues tangling in an age-old dance. Liam had coaxed the other boy towards his bed, until he fell back, Theo landing on top of him.

His strokes sped up, and he panted, pressing his mouth against his arm as he tried to contain the whines slipping from his mouth.

Theo leaned back to pull Liam's shirt off and chuck it to the side, immediately leaning forward to press kisses and bites to his chest and neck, while Liam carded his hands through Theo's hair. His eyes widened as Theo's towel loosened and then fell away, showing off the other boy in all his glory. Theo, impatient now, unzipped Liam's pants and pushed them down, freeing Liam's erection. He surged back and resumed kissing Liam, their cocks brushing, and Liam was intoxicated by the heat of Theo's skin, of the weight of Theo's body holding him down, of the slide of Theo's mouth on his own.

"Oh fuck," Liam grunted, his toes curling as he came hard, painting the shower wall in front of him. He shuddered, gasping for breath, his heart racing as his cock twitched a few more times.

As he caught his breath, he continued to lean against the shower, his mind racing.

Yep, definitely like guys, he thought, shaking his head with a rueful smile. Well, fuck.


	4. Chapter 4

Liam's eyes flew open as he sat up suddenly. He looked around wildly, ears straining for the noise that had woken him.

After a few moments, he focussed in on Theo in the other room, and could hear ragged breathing, his heart pumping wildly. Liam frowned.

He must be having a nightmare, he thought, biting his lip. Theo groaned and whimpered, and with every little sound Liam flinched. He hated hearing the other boy in pain.

Liam threw off the blanket and stood up, standing by his door, wavering with indecision. Should he wake Theo? Should he leave him alone?

His decision was made for him when he noticed an absence of noise. No breathing, no heartbeat. He lurched through the door and barrelled up the hallway.

Just as he burst into Theo's room seconds later, the other boy gasped, his eyes glowing yellow as he clutched at his chest. The scent of fear and blood suffocated the room, holding Liam in place. He stared at Theo, his mouth gaping open.

After a few moments, Theo sank back into the mattress, his arms falling to his sides. His heartbeat returned, though it was racing unnaturally fast.

"It's ok," Theo whispered, his eyes focussed on someone who wasn't there. He then closed his eyes, and returned to his restless sleep, tossing and whimpering.

Liam walked forward slowly, trying to reconcile what he had just seen with what his senses were telling him. He stood over the other boy, looking concerned.

He had never seen a nightmare like that before. It was like Theo was seeing and experiencing something real, something tangible, and yet there had been no one in the room but them.

There was something wrong.

Slowly, Liam sat on the bed next to Theo, facing him. He slid his fingers along Theo's arm, trailing down it until he grabbed Theo's hand. He turned it over and examined it, his eyes glowing fiercely as he looked at the long nails of Theo's fingers digging into his palm, making deep gouge marks. That was where the scent of blood must have come from.

Theo whimpered as Liam pried each claw out of the flesh of his palm. Once that hand was done, he took the other hand and repeated the process. he took away the pain, gritting his teeth as black flooded his senses.

Only then did he try to wake Theo up.

"Theo," he said quietly. "Theo, wake up."

In his sleep, Theo frowned, but his head turned towards his voice.

He can hear me, Liam realised.

"It's ok, Theo. You're safe. I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you," Liam said in a soothing voice, his fingers stroking over Theo's slowly healing palms.

"Liam," Theo whispered. He didn't open his eyes, but Liam could see them moving rapidly under his eyelids, as if he was searching for him.

"Follow my voice," Liam instructed, "I'm right here."

"I can't," Theo muttered.

"I'll find you," Liam promised. "Stay there and I'll come get you."

"Ok," Theo sighed.

Liam reached forward and wrapped one hand behind Theo's neck. He focussed and unsheathed his claws, pressing them into the flesh on Theo's neck, just hard enough to break the skin. It was enough to break through into Theo's subconscious state.

Weirdly, they were in the hospital. He recognised the morgue they were in from when they had hidden from the Ghost Riders. Liam thought back to that night, remembering how Theo had disappeared into his mind while they were there. When Liam had pushed it, the other boy had replied that he had been somewhere else. In his nightmare, Liam realised.

There was no one else in the room, so he ventured out into the hallway. A bit further down was Theo, who was slumped against one wall, blood oozing from his chest in a cavity that should definitely not be there.

Liam rushed to him, dropping to his knees in front of the other boy.

"Theo," he said urgently, hands hovering as panic overwhelmed him. This was what Theo dreamed of?

"You came," Theo said in a dull voice, his eyes lidded. As he spoke, blood dribbling from his mouth and down his chin.

"Of course I did," Liam said. "I always will."

Theo did not reply, but slumped to the ground. Everything turned black, and then they were back in the morgue. It was dark, and Liam looked around wildly, trying to find Theo.

"Theoooo," came a quiet, menacing whisper.

Suddenly the other boy sprawled onto the ground from one of the drawers, scrabbling to his feet.

"Run," Theo yelled, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the door. Liam ran with him, looking around for the threat, but he could see no one chasing them.

They slowed as they came to an intersection, both boys looking around wildly.

"Theoooo," the voice came again. Suddenly, there was a girl crouched on all fours, her eyes peering out from behind matted hair. Water dripped from her, and there was a gaping hole in her chest.

His sister, Liam realised, eyes widening as he finally understood.

"I never get far," Theo said, his eyes glued to the form of his sister, fear and acceptance swirling around him.

This is what he dreams about, night after night. His sister hunting him through the morgue, taking her heart back. Liam's heart rose to his throat, and he swallowed past thick emotion. Not this time, he vowed.

Theo was whimpering as he backed away, then he stumbled and fell back. His sister scrabbled forward, grabbing his ankle.

She paused as she looked into Theo's eyes.

"It's ok," he said.

"Like fucking hell it is," Liam snarled, eyes blazing, claws extended. He roared at the apparition and charged into her side, sending her skidding away from the other boy.

She cocked her head, as if seeing him for the first time.

"You want him, bitch? You'll have to go through me first," Liam snarled.

"Liam," Theo whispered desperately.

Liam ignored Theo as Tara lunged towards him. He slugged her in the face, claws whipping across her cheek and leaving a bloody trail. She screamed, and came at him faster than ever. He fought desperately, rage making him clumsy as he swung wildly, trying his best to force her away from Theo. Inch by excruciating inch he succeeded, though he was bleeding from a multitude of cuts.

"You won't touch him, never again," Liam vowed.

She smiled at him and he frowned.

Her hand snaked out and caught his wrist. Try as he might, he could not break her hold.

"No, Tara! No" Theo sobbed, frozen on the floor. Liam and Theo screamed together as she plunged her other hand into Liam's chest, ripping out his heart.

Liam fell to his knees, blood dripping down his mouth. He looked up at Tara, who held his still beating heart in her hand. She walked away, and everything faded to black.

And then they were in the morgue once more.

Liam ran to the drawer that Theo had come out of last time and threw it open, pulling the other boy up.

"Why?" Theo sobbed, hanging off him, burying his face into Liam's neck. "Why?"

"You don't deserve it," Liam scowled. "No one does." His chest ached, heart beating wildly.

"That's not what you said before," Theo said. Liam's mind went back to that day, when they had been outside the hospital. He had all but laughed in Theo's face, saying that he deserved everything that happened to him, saying that he would use Theo as bait to survive. He felt sick.

"I was wrong," Liam said firmly.

Tara appeared quicker this time, blocking the door. Liam turned, placing himself between her and Theo. The other boy's hands bunched up in Liam's shirt, and he pressed his face into Liam's back. Liam could feel Theo's tears drenching the back of his shirt.

"We can do this as many times as you want," Liam snarled, "but I won't let you touch him."

Tara's eyes drifted over Liam and to the boy behind him. Her frustration was clear as she disappeared.

Liam waited a few moments, heart thudding in his chest as he turned slowly, eyes darting around to make sure she was truly gone. Theo turned with him, whining with fear.

After several minutes, it was clear that she wasn't returning. Liam turned again, pulling Theo into his arms, crushing him to his chest. Theo cried into his shoulder, sobs shuddering through him. Liam buried his nose in Theo's hair, inhaling deeply as he stroked one hand along Theo's spine, silently reassuring him.

Eventually, Theo calmed, though he still clung to the other boy. Liam's hand trailed up Theo's back a final time and slipped into his hair, carding through it the same way he had when they had woken up on Liam's couch an eternity ago.

"Ok?" Liam asked.

"Thanks to you," Theo murmured.

Liam pulled away and Theo slowly looked up to meet his gaze. They stared into each other's eyes. Just as Liam broke the eye contact, Theo glanced down at Liam's lips. Liam, looking at him out of the corner of his eye, felt his heart skip.

But now was not the time.

"Wake up," he whispered. Theo nodded.

Liam closed his eyes, and reopened them in the guest room, carefully removing his claws from Theo's neck. Slowly, Theo woke, opening his eyes to find Liam hovering over him.

"How do you feel?" Liam asked, concern clear in his voice.

Theo blinked, taking in the way Liam was holding one of his hands, the other pressed firmly against the back of his neck. Wet trails were evident on Liam's face, echoing the tracks running down his own. He bit his lip, clearly fighting back strong emotion, vulnerability oozing from every pore.

"I'm ok," Theo whispered, his voice hoarse.

Liam nodded, smiling softly at Theo.

"Do you want me to go now?" Liam asked. He didn't want to push Theo more than he felt comfortable with. Theo had never dealt very well with other people seeing past the mask he so carefully constructed.

"No, stay," Theo replied, his eyes wide with fear.

"I won't leave," Liam promised. He looked down Theo's body pointedly, taking in the way he covered the majority of the single mattress. "Although, we should probably go to my room. I won't fit on this bed." Liam gave Theo a cheeky smile, and Theo returned it, his breath huffing out of him in a quiet laugh.

"That's probably a good idea," he admitted.

Theo sat up slowly and Liam lead him back to his own bedroom, Theo's hand clutched tight in his. They both washed their faces in Liam's bathroom and then settled into Liam's bed.

In the darkness, Liam lay facing Theo, eyes fond as the other boy gazed back at him, naked trust and hope clear in his expression.

Together, they breathed, sharing this quiet space.


	5. Chapter 5

It took all of five minutes for Liam to realise he wasn't going to be able to sleep. He was overwhelmed. By what had happened in Theo's dream, by what it meant. He had been right, there was a lot more to Theo than what met the eye. The Theo that he had seen tonight was vastly different from the cocky, self-assured boy that the rest of the world saw. He was cracked open, a bleeding wound open in his chest that never went away. He was broken.

Liam had been thinking about Theo for awhile now, but it was only tonight that he felt like he was getting to see the truth, the real Theo.

It tugged at him, that need to make it better.

"You're thinking so loud, I can almost hear your thoughts," Theo said quietly. Liam chuckled, his eyes focussing on the other boy.

"Sorry," he responded, wriggling a little closer.

His eyes could still see Theo smiling at him quite clearly in the darkness.

"I can't believe you did that," Theo whispered. "It was so risky, you idiot."

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat," Liam replied, smirking at him. Theo rolled his eyes at the terrible joke.

"Too soon, man," he muttered.

"When did they start?" Liam asked, a little hesitant.

"The dreams?" Theo asked. Liam hummed in response. Theo shrugged. "After you brought me back."

Liam's stomach dropped.

"That was months ago," he whispered, dismay and horror sinking through his veins. His hands shook. No wonder, no wonder Theo was the way he was.

"It doesn't matter," Theo said, sighing. "It's still better than- "He broke off, falling silent.

"Better than being down there?" Liam asked quietly. Theo nodded, unable to speak. Liam moved even closer, suddenly unable to stand even the small amount of distance between them. Their breath mingled, their foreheads pressed together. Liam ran his hand along Theo's side, trying to soothe him.

"Anything is better than that," Theo said eventually.

"Is that why?" Liam asked, realisation dawning.

"What?" Theo asked, pulling back slightly, a frown on his face.

"Why you keep saving me? You feel like you owe me or something?" He pressed.

Theo hesitated.

"I think it started that way," he said, frowning as he stared off over Liam's shoulder. "I was so confused or disorientated or whatever, with the Ghost Riders, and the rest of the pack, and the nightmares. You broke the sword, so it couldn't send me back. I think I saw you as like a safe haven or something."

His cheeks were dusted with pink, embarrassed at having shared something so personal and emotional.

"I'm glad," Liam whispered, his eyes prickling with moisture.

"Me too," Theo said, looking at Liam. "I'm so grateful. I'll never be able to thank you enough for saving me."

"You don't have to thank me," Liam said. "It was the right thing to do. As soon as I snapped the sword, I felt so much relief. I hated having that much power over your life."

"You never would have done anything," Theo said. "You're not capable of it."

"You don't know that," Liam scowled. "You know better than anyone how angry I get. How many times have I punched you? Or threatened you?" He closed his eyes, remembering every time he had taken out his anger on others by taking his pound of flesh. So many regrets, and it had only gotten worse as a werewolf. He was even stronger now.

"You always control it when it matters," Theo said gently.

"No, I don't," Liam admitted, screwing his face up.

"But you're trying, you'll get better at it," Theo replied.

"How do you know?" Liam asked, opening his eyes. Theo was gazing at him, and Liam struggled to identify the emotion in his eyes.

"You have a good heart," Theo said, bringing up one hand to press it against Liam's chest, feeling the thud of the other boy's heart against his hand. Liam could feel his warmth seeping in.

Suddenly, Liam became aware of the fact that the other boy was lying in his bed in nothing but a pair of Liam's sweatpants. His mind replayed his fantasy in the shower, of Theo on top of him, grinding against him. He bit his tongue, trying to calm his racing heart and turn his mind to something else. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Theo away.

"Let's talk about something else," he said, once he felt sufficiently calm. Theo bit his lip but nodded. No doubt he would have been able to smell the chemo-signals wafting from Liam's skin, but he didn't push the issue. Liam withdrew his hand and flopped onto his back, snuggling close to Theo's side, one arm tucked behind his head.

"What's your favourite Disney movie?" Liam asked after a short break, smiling up at the ceiling.

"Mulan," Theo shot back immediately.

"You didn't even have to think about it!" Liam grinned, turning to look at Theo.

"Of course not, she saved all of China dude. Chick is badass," Theo smirked.

Theo started humming the tune of 'I'll make a man out of you' and Liam laughed, burying his head into Theo's shoulder.

He started drumming the beat to the song against his chest, nodding his head and Theo started singing the chorus.

"We must be swift as the coursing river. With all the force of a great typhoon. With all the strength of a raging fire," he sang. He paused to turn and look at Liam and they sang the last line together.

"Mysterious as the dark side of the moooooooooooon," they sang. Theo laughed as Liam gave a soft howl, dragging on the note. Liam gave him a dopey grin.

"You're actually a pretty good singer," Liam said.

"I'm good at everything," Theo said, cocking one eyebrow at Liam. Liam just laughed. "Alright, so what's your favourite Disney movie?"

Liam thought about it for a few seconds. "Probably Hercules." Theo burst out laughing. "What?" Liam demanded.

"Of course it is," Theo said, grinning at him.

"What's wrong with it?" Liam sat up slightly and scowled. "It has the best sound track and the story is so good."

"You were in love with Meg, weren't you?" Theo teased.

Liam fell back onto the bed. "Oh man, so in love," he chuckled. "Hercules was pretty hot too," he admitted.

"Ooooh sexual awakening," Theo said with a laugh. "I bet you and Mason used to watch and sing all the scenes together, act it all out."

"I was always Meg," Liam nodded solemnly.

"Did you act out the kissing scenes too?" Theo asked, winking at him.

Liam blushed and Theo sat up and rolled onto his side, eyes widening. "Oh my god, you did!"

"Mason was my first kiss," Theo admitted bashfully. Theo grinned.

"That's so fucking cute," he said. "I can picture it so clearly- It's too cliché, I won't say I'm in looooove." He sang, dramatically flicking his imaginary ponytail over his shoulder.

"Shut up," Liam said, trying to push Theo away as he made kissy faces at him. They ended up wrestling until Theo had both of Liam's arms pinned by his sides.

"Gotcha," Theo said, looking smug. Liam surged up, locking his legs around Theo's waist and pulling him to the side until their positions were reversed.

"Now we're re-enacting The Lion King," Liam said, looking amused. Theo wriggled underneath him, trying unsuccessfully to get out from the other boy. He gave up with a huff, and Liam grinned at him, his turn to feel smug.

"Alright, you win," Theo said, rolling his eyes.

"Naturally," Liam preened. "So who was your first kiss?" He was actually pretty curious. As far as he knew, Theo hadn't been in a relationship with anyone since he had come back to Beacon Hills. He had no idea whether he was into boys or girls. He didn't want to assume.

Theo paused, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to think who it was.

"Oh my god," Liam laughed. "How many people have you kissed that you have to think about it?" He smiled down at Theo, showing he was only teasing.

"Have you seen my face?" Theo asked, dryly. Liam chuckled.

"It's alright, I guess," he admitted. "Come on, spill. Who was it?"

"I think it was Stiles, actually, back in grade school," he said after a moment.

"What?" Liam said, eyes wide.

"Yeah," Theo laughed, his eyes distant as he remembered. "It was third grade I think, kiss chasey. He loved being it."

"Kiss chasey?" Liam asked, flopping to the side as he laughed until he cried. He could picture it so clearly. A scrawny gappy seven-year-old bundle of energy running around and kissing girls and boys indiscriminately.

"I can't believe Stiles stole your first kiss," Liam said, wiping the tears from his face, a huge grin splitting his face from ear-to-ear. His jaw ached from smiling.

"Me either," Theo said, shaking his head, a rueful smile on his face.

They continued to exchange stupid little secrets. Favourite colour, most embarrassing moment, celebrity crush, all sorts of things.

Finally, at almost three in the morning, they drifted off to sleep, sides pressed together, hands brushing, soft smiles on both of their faces.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning wasn't weird at all, though it probably should have been. Liam had woken with Theo lying over him, his face pressed against Liam's heart. He smiled softly, stroking his hands through his hair and waking him up.

"Good morning," Liam said cheerfully.

Theo sat up on his elbows, looking at him blearily.

"Great, you're a morning person," he groaned, flipping over and throwing one arm over his eyes.

"Sure am," Liam said, smiling at the small growl Theo let out. "Come on, mum said she was cooking breakfast for us and I can definitely smell bacon."

"Five more minutes," Theo muttered grouchily.

"Won't be any food left in five minutes," Liam said, jumping out of bed and rushing through the door. With a muttered curse, Theo rolled out of bed as well.

"My parents are married, actually," he said quietly in response to Theo. He knew the other boy had heard.

"Morning, mum," Liam said, kissing her cheek as he moved past her to the fridge. He grabbed a carton of juice and poured a drink for the two of them, and placed it on the counter in front of Theo.

"Morning, sweetheart," she replied. "Morning, Theo."

"Good morning," Theo replied, looking a little uncomfortable sitting at the kitchen counter on a stool. Liam sat beside him, his eyes watching his mother in a predatory fashion as she flipped the bacon in the pan.

She eventually placed a plate of steaming pancakes and crispy bacon in front of him. He waited until she passed him the jug of maple syrup before he gave her a big grin. She ruffled his hair and then served Theo.

"What the hell are you doing?" Theo asked, his eyes wide with disgust as he watched Liam pour a generous amount of maple syrup over his pancakes and bacon.

"Maple bacon, duh," Liam said, stuffing a big mouthful into his mouth and chewing in Theo's face.

"That is not a thing," Theo said.

"Yes, it is," Liam mumbled as he shovelled in more food. He was not joking about there being no food left within five minutes. Theo, probably realising this after watching Liam for three seconds, quickly tucked into his own meal. No maple syrup touched his plate, however.

Liam wolfed down his food in two minutes, following it with his glass of juice. He set it down with a happy sigh and beamed at his mum.

"That was awesome," he said.

"Thanks baby, now go get ready for school," she said, giving him an affectionate smile. Liam nodded and ran up the hallway, leaving Theo and his mother alone as he went to get dressed.

He paused near his door, turning his sensitive hearing back towards the kitchen.

"Theo, do you go to school?" His mum asked.

"Uhh no, I was supposed to graduate last year but I got into a bit of trouble before the year ended," Theo replied. Liam could hear the nerves in his voice as he gave basically the biggest understatement of the century. A bit hard to graduate school when you're in hell.

"Everything ok now?" His mum prodded.

"Yeah," Theo said, his heart racing.

Liar, Liam thought, but that will change.

He got ready quickly, dressing in a pair of black jeans, a grey shirt and a dark blue hoodie to top it off. He shoved his books into his school bag, pausing to grab his practice bag as well. He chucked both bags on his bed and went into the bathroom, brushing his teeth. As he was brushing his teeth, he looked down to notice that Theo's clothes were still on the floor.

He won't want to put those on, Liam thought, frowning. He bent down to pick them and chucked them into the hamper along with his own clothes. His mum would probably wash them today if she wasn't working until later.

Rinsing out his mouth, he walked back into his room and stood in front of his dresser. Liam ruffled through them, grabbing a few of the bigger things he had in there, remembering how tight his sweatpants had been on the other boy. He left them in a neat pile on the chair, grabbed his bags and headed towards the kitchen.

Liam walked in to find Theo finishing off his meal and his mother gone.

"Hey," he said in greeting as he walked past Theo into the kitchen. On the bench was a sandwich, apple and bag of chips, which Liam put in his bag.

"Hey," Theo replied. "Your mum left already, said she was going to the markets or something."

"Oh," Liam frowned. "I was hoping she would give me a ride to school."

"I can take you," Theo offered. "Least I can do after you let me stay here."

"You don't have to," Liam said, "but that would be awesome."

"Cool," Theo said, having a sip of his juice. "I guess I'll go get ready then." He grimaced, probably thinking of the state of his clothes.

"I chucked your clothes in the hamper, by the way, so I grabbed some of mine and left them on the chair," Liam explained.

"Oh," Theo said.

"Mum will have yours washed in a few hours," Liam said nervously. "I hope that's ok."

"Uhm, yeah, no that's cool, I guess," Theo said, rubbing his chin. He looked a little uncomfortable, but not angry or annoyed.

"Are you doing much today?" Liam asked hesitantly.

"Just running a few errands," Theo said vaguely.

Not much, Liam translated.

"Cool, well if you want, after lacrosse practice we were gonna go to a party. Friday night and all that. You're welcome to come with us," Liam offered, rocking back and forth on his feet. Theo didn't reply, just looking at him with a guarded expression. "We can't get drunk, obviously, but you can just hang with us again."

"Can't get drunk?" Theo asked.

"You know, the werewolf thing," Liam said, "obviously."

"Of course we can get drunk," Theo laughed. "You telling me you've never had alcohol?"

"Not since before I became a werewolf," Liam admitted, "and that wasn't much, I got tipsy once at Mason's birthday party, that was about it."

"Alright," Theo said, a smug grin on his face. "I'll come to the party and I'll bring the booze, and I am gonna get you so wasted." His eyes were dancing with mirth.

Liam smiled at him, shaking his head. "Alright, well I finish lacrosse at six. If you come pick me up, you can get ready here too if you want," Liam said.

"Sounds good," Theo nodded, and he set down his empty cup and stood up. Liam grabbed Theo's dishes and rinsed them in the sink, placing them in the dishwasher. By the time he had finished doing that, Theo was walking back into the kitchen, smelling of mint toothpaste and dressed in Liam's clothes.

Liam's eyes trailed down his body, taking in the way his jeans clung to Theo like a second skin. On him they were a little baggy, on Theo they were sinful. He cleared his throat, averting his eyes as he blushed lightly. Leaning down, he grabbed both of his bags and looked up to see Theo watching him. He was smiling slightly, his blue eyes twinkling.

He's laughing at me, Liam realised, and he blushed harder.

"Let's go," he muttered self-consciously, brushing past the other boy. He paused slightly just a step past Theo, taking in the intoxicating mix of their scents caused by Theo wearing his clothes.

Biting his lip, he continued walking, leading the way out of the house and getting into Theo's truck. It was gonna be the longest ride to school of his life.


	7. Chapter 7

Somehow, Liam had managed to get to school with his dignity mostly intact. He still had the feeling that Theo was laughing at him, but he could pretend to ignore it.

When he walked up to Mason and Corey in the hallway, he was in a bit of a daze.

"Sooo?" Mason asked, spreading his hands open. "How did it go?"

"Uh, well," Liam said, shaking his head with a perplexed look. So much had happened in such a short period of time that it was hard to encapsulate it into one word.

"He stayed the night then?" Corey prodded, an eager look on his face.

"Yeah, he did," Liam nodded, walking alongside the other boys to class.

"Aren't you gonna give us the details, Liam? We're dying here," Mason exclaimed. Liam frowned as he looked down at the ground. A lot of what Theo had revealed to him last night, both through his words and his actions, had been really personal. Suddenly, he wasn't sure about how much he wanted to share with the other boys. Yesterday, they had been laughing and having fun while they schemed. Today, that seemed petty.

"We watched another movie, mum made up the spare room and he stayed the night. Mum made us breakfast and he gave me a lift to school. It was good," he said, his firm tone of voice showing the subject was closed.

Corey and Mason exchanged a long look, trying to decide whether or not to push the topic. An agreement was made.

"Is he coming to the party with us?" Corey asked.

"Yeah, he's gonna get ready at mine and we'll meet you guys there," Liam explained.

"Great," Mason said. "That's great, right Corey?"

"So great," Corey echoed.

Liam paused at the door to their class and shot a look at them.

"What?" He asked.

"The plan is working even better than we thought," Mason shrugged. "We thought we'd have to just about drag him kicking and screaming. You sure nothing happened last night?"

Liam's thought of lying with Theo cuddled up against him on the couch, of his fantasy in the shower, of walking through Theo's nightmare and standing between him and Tara, of his heart literally being ripped from his chest, of the secrets they shared in Liam's bed, of the way he woke up tangled up with Theo, and the sinful way he looked and smelled in Liam's clothes.

"Positive," he said, giving them a sarcastic smile. He breezed past them into the classroom, effectively ending the conversation.

He managed to dodge their questions for the rest of the day, using other students and teachers as barriers, walking out of rooms as they walked in, and generally avoiding them. As he slipped into the locker room to get ready for lacrosse, Liam let out a sigh of relief. He was safe for now, at least until the party, and Mason and Corey would hardly talk about Theo when he was right there.

Liam got changed quickly and ran out onto the field, running a few laps to warm up before grabbing his lacrosse stick and lining up in front of the goal for some practice shots. He was early, so it was another fifteen minutes before the other players started turning up.

"Nice to see you putting in some extra time for a change, Liam," Coach yelled as he walked out onto the field. Liam waved in acknowledgement and continued firing shots into the goals. He had deliberately told Theo a later time that morning so that he could get in more practice both during and after practice. Working off some of his energy now would help him later on that night when he had to see Theo again.

He was on auto-pilot during the whole practice, running through the motions of drills and plays, correcting form and giving quiet encouragement as needed.

By the time training finished, he was a bundle of nervous energy. He was going to a party with Theo Raeken, and he was apparently going to get drunk.

Everyone else filtered away to the showers but Liam kept throwing ball after ball at the net. It started getting dark, his shirt had long since been discarded as sweat dripped off him before he was interrupted.

"Dude, take it easy," Brett said, coming to stand next to Liam and resting an arm on his shoulder. Liam's skin tingled as the warmth from the other werewolf's hand seeped into him. He shrugged the hand off and jogged away to gather up some of the balls he had thrown.

"What are you doing here?" Liam asked.

"Maybe I'm scoping out the competition," Brett said, smirking.

Liam turned to look at him. Brett was dressed in sweats with jogging shoes and headphones resting around his neck. Sweat glistened on his prominent abs. Liam scowled. He had probably just been going for a run. Could have just said that, though. Brett had always loved getting under his skin, even when they were on the same team.

"Since you're here, you may as well be helpful," Liam said, dropping the pile in his arms on the ground. "Get in goals."

Brett grinned and grabbed a spare lacrosse stick from Liam's bag near the goals, dropped his headphones and phone by the bag and got into place.

"Give it your best shot," he teased, eyes glowing yellow, gleaming with anticipation.

Liam narrowed his eyes, giving him a feral grin. "Just remember, you asked for this," he growled.

He was a blur, poetry in motion, scooping up each ball and flinging it towards the goals, his superhuman speed and strength seeing them firing faster than the eye could see. Despite his cocky attitude, Brett couldn't catch them all. Even before he had become a werewolf, Liam had been an exceptional lacrosse player.

"Not bad, Dunbar," Brett said, flicking each of them back to roll near his feet. "You got at least five in."

"It was eight," Liam smirked, gearing up for another round. "I'll double it this time."

He had been watching carefully during the first round, seeing which ones Brett had let go and which ones he had caught. Though the way he lunged and defended was impressive, he was weaker on the right, particularly below his knee. It was a flaw that Liam planned to capitalise on.

Brett brought up his lacrosse stick, slowly moving into a defensive position. He looked less cocky now, but no less determined.

Liam began again, throwing some higher shots to lull Brett into a false sense of security, before he grinned as he fired shot after shot into the lower right-hand corner.

Every single shot went in.

Liam dug his lacrosse stick into the ground at his side and leaned one hand on it, running his other hand through his sweaty hair. He looked at Brett, the smuggest grin stretching across his face.

"I guess you got me good there," Brett said, taking a step forwards, looking at Liam with a wry smile. He slung the lacrosse stick behind his head and across his shoulders, holding it with his hands.

Liam's eyes danced with mirth as he smirked at the other boy. This is why he had always enjoyed lacrosse. It was something he was actually good at, something that came naturally to him. Strategy, studying other players and their weakness was something he enjoyed. Maybe it was why he liked history so much, studying battles and stuff like that.

"Hey, Liam!" Called Theo, waving from the carpark. Liam waved back, acknowledging him. Brett turned to look, an eyebrow raised.

"What's he doing here?" Brett scowled.

"Maybe he's scoping the competition," Liam replied with a cheeky grin.

"I didn't realise there was one," Brett replied, giving him an intense look.

Liam looked away to where Theo was walking towards them, giving him a warm smile. "There's not."

He had been on a team with Brett for a year and a half at Devenford Prep. Liam had seen him half-naked at practice and in the locker room many times without feeling so much as a twinge of interest. His recent 'sexual awakening' as Theo had said last night, was very Theo-centric.

Brett sighed but Liam ignored him.

"Hey," he greeted Theo. The other boy was still wearing his clothes, and from the corner of his eyes he saw the exact moment that Brett's eyes widened as he caught the scent. He stifled a smirk.

"Hey," Theo said. "Practice finish early?" He was looking between Liam and Brett with a light scowl on his face.

"Nah, I just wanted to get some extra practice in," Liam explained. "Brett was passing by and decided to join in."

"I see," Theo said, glaring at the other boy.

"Well, we should go," Liam said, feeling the tension as the two boys stared at each other. "Gotta get ready for the party." He gathered up his things and chucked them in his practice bag. Picking up Brett's phone and headphones, he walked over to the boys and offered them to Brett. "Thanks for the practice," he said.

"Anytime," Brett said, giving Theo a challenging look. Liam rolled his eyes and turned to walk away towards Theo's truck.

After he was a bit further away, he heard the two boys throwing insults at each other.

"You're not good enough for him," Brett growled.

"Maybe." Theo shot back. "You have a weak right knee." Liam heard a crunch and Brett's groan as Theo kicked his right leg out from underneath him. "You should work on that."

"Asshole," Brett hissed through clenched teeth.

Liam shook his head as he reached Theo's car and threw his practice bag into the back of it. Theo caught up to him and Liam stared him down as he unlocked the truck.

"You didn't have to do that," he scolded as he got inside.

"Yeah, I did," Theo said, looking forward with a blank expression. He started the car and drove out of the car park.

Liam looked back at the practice field as they drove off, but it was empty. Brett was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Liam stared out the window the whole way home, wondering why Theo had attacked Brett. Perhaps this growing interest was not one-sided like he had originally assumed. It was like Mason had been saying earlier that day, they had expected that Theo would need to be dragged into hanging out with them. Instead, he was embracing it.

Maybe tonight he would test the waters a little bit, dip a toe in to see how Theo responded.

When Liam unlocked the door to the house and let Theo in, it was to find an empty house.

"Looks like they're both at work," Liam said, frowning.

"Do your parents work a lot?" Theo asked as they walked inside.

"Yeah," Liam said quietly.

They grabbed a snack from the kitchen and wolfed it down, before going into the loungeroom.

"What do you want to do?" He asked Theo. "We don't have to get ready for ages. The party starts at ten."

"I could kick your ass at Halo some more," Theo smirked.

"You wish," Liam growled.

"But we're not doing anything until you go have a shower," Theo said, wrinkling his nose at him.

"It's not that bad," Liam argued.

"You smell like a wet dog," Theo drawled. "You were at practice for over two hours and you reek."

"Ugh, fine," Liam grumbled. Truly he didn't mind having a shower, he felt sticky and sweaty and gross. Hardly putting his best foot forward with the other boy.

He showered quickly but thoroughly, just chucking on a pair of boxers and sweatpants. Thankfully, his mum had indeed managed to do some washing and his drawers were all restocked. Theo's clothes sat on the chair, folded neatly. With a smirk, Liam decided to forgo a shirt and walked back out to the loungeroom.

While he was gone, Theo had set up the game and was waiting for him.

"Ready to lose, Raeken?" Liam asked as he flopped down beside him, grabbing a controller.

Theo's eyes flicked over his bare chest before he turned to face the screen. "Bring it."

The other boy was distracted, and Liam used it to his full advantage. After winning six times in a row, he threw his controller down and leaned back into the couch, smirking at Theo. He didn't even have to say anything, he could tell that the other boy was annoyed. Liam's eyes burnt into the side of Theo's face until finally he gave in and turned to look at him. Liam pulled a face at him, sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes. Theo rolled his eyes, but smiled.

"I'm gonna have a shower," Theo said. Liam waved him off and pulled out his phone, stretching out on the couch. It was good that Theo felt comfortable enough to just go have a shower without being asked. It was exactly what Liam wanted, to make him feel at home here.

He checked his phone and saw a message from Mason.

What you up to? 7:09pm

Playing halo 7:15pm

Cool. We're bored. Your parents' home? 7:16pm

Nah at work. 7:16pm

Can we come over for pres? My mum is home 7:16pm

Sure. See you soon 7:17pm

Liam got off the couch and went back to his room. Theo was still in the bathroom. Liam could hear him getting dressed so went to his closet to decide what to wear.

Theo walked out of the bathroom, and Liam looked at him out of the corner of his eye, appreciating the fit of his black jacket around his shoulders. His cologne wafted through the room and Liam's eyes darkened slightly as he breathed it in. It wasn't an overwhelming scent, sort of woodsy, making Liam think of running through the preserve at night.

"Mason and Corey will be here soon," Liam informed him, grabbing a pair of jeans and a formfitting blue long-sleeved shirt from his dressed.

"Getting the party started early?" Theo asked with a smile.

"Yeah, his mum is home and she'd sniff the alcohol out a mile away,' Liam chuckled.

"Poor Mason," Theo joked weakly as he sat down on Liam's bed. Liam watched him, knowing that the other boy was probably thinking that at least Mason had people looking out for his wellbeing. Theo had no one.

"Yeah, well, don't worry, we'll be sneaking back in through the window too unless we want mum catching us," Liam informed him.

Theo huffed a laugh, and some of the self-hatred dimmed from his eyes. Liam walked into the bathroom, leaving it open a sliver as he got changed. From the spike in Theo's heart rate, he could definitely see Liam shucking his sweatpants and changing into the jeans. He smirked at himself in the mirror as he stretched before pulling on the shirt.

He sprayed on his own cologne, a sort of lemon citrusy scent that Hayden had bought him for his last birthday. Liam turned side to side and checked himself out. Since becoming a werewolf, he had put on a lot more muscle and had started getting taller. His hair had also grown out a bit and fell into his eyes.

"If you're done staring at yourself, Narcissus, I think the others are here," Theo drawled. Liam walked back into his room and stuck his tongue out at him as he walked past. "Real mature," Theo called out.

Liam opened the door and greeted Mason and Corey. "Hey guys."

"Hey,' they replied. "Is Theo here yet?" Corey asked.

"Yeah, in my room," Liam responded. He lead them back to his room, missing the look they shared behind his back.

"Hey guys," Theo said. They returned the greeting and Liam sat beside Theo on the bed. Corey sat down in Liam's chair while Mason put his bag down and sat on the ground in front of him, leaning against Corey's legs.

"How was practice?" Mason asked.

"Yeah good," Liam said. "Brett showed up afterwards and helped me for a bit."

"Hot Brett was there?" Corey asked, perking up.

"Hey!" Mason said, turning to look at him.

"You think he's hot too," Corey pointed out.

"True," Mason sighed.

"He wasn't wearing a shirt either," Liam said. The two boys stared at him, jealousy evident in their features. Theo scowled, and Liam bit his lip, struggling not to laugh.

"You're so lucky," Corey sighed dreamily.

"Eh, he doesn't do it for me," Liam said dismissively. Theo looked at him sharply, and Liam swallowed a smirk, looking steadily ahead at the other two boys. A tiny wisp of shock wafted from Theo before he tamped down on his chemo-signals.

Such a drop in his control was enough for Liam to turn to look at him, surprised. It was rare for Theo to be open with his true feelings. He had been when Liam had first met him, but that was when he was manipulating all of them. Liam had discovered afterwards that Theo was a very good actor, capable of controlling his chemo-signals, faking them. Since he had come back from hell, however, he rarely allowed any emotion to escape him.

Mason and Corey had picked up on the tension, and they both stared at Theo as well.

"Shall we start the drinking now?" Theo asked, his cheeks flushed.

"Oooh yes," Mason said. He pulled out a bottle of coke. When he opened the lid, Liam was overwhelmed by the smell of vodka.

"That's got to be at least half and half," Liam said, laughing as Mason took a sip and spluttered.

"At least," Mason agreed weakly, rubbing his throat.

"I didn't know how much to add," Corey said with an unapologetic shrug. "I've never drunk before."

"This tastes like fire," Mason said. "Good job."

Liam laughed again as Mason struggled through another mouthful.

"I'll be back," Theo said as he got up. He walked out, and all three boys watched him go.

As soon as he heard the front door close, Corey launched over the top of Mason and pinned Liam to the bed. Mason joined him moments later.

"What's going on with you two?" Corey hissed.

"There's so much sexual tension, I could cut it with a knife," Mason agreed.

"What was that about Brett? Did something happen?" Corey urged.

"Guys," Liam said weakly, trying to pry them off of him.

"Answers, Liam, now," Mason said, trying to sound menacing.

They heard the door again and Liam smirked triumphantly as they slowly let him go.

"Later," he mouthed.

"Liam, where do I find cups," Theo called from the kitchen.

"Second cupboard on the right," Liam called back.

Mason and Corey returned to their seats and glared at Liam but as soon as Theo walked back in the room, they went back to smiling. In his hands, he had a few cups, a bottle of scotch and a packet of herbs.

"What is that?" Liam asked.

"Wolfsbane," Theo replied cheerfully.

"That's poisonous," Corey said, blinking at him.

"So is alcohol," Theo said pointedly. "I'm not going to add enough to kill us, just enough to let the alcohol affect us."

"Oh," Corey said, "cool."

He poured drinks for the three of them and sprinkled a tiny pinch in each cup.

"No mixer?" Liam asked, looking into the cup that Theo passed to him.

"Just more to force down," Theo shrugged.

Liam took a sip and grimaced as the fine herbs tickled at the back of his throat. He felt it burn the whole way down. Theo was right, no amount of soda would disguise the burning bitterness of the wolfsbane.

"That's disgusting," he said, wiping his mouth.

"Welcome to being a normal teenager," Theo said, raising his cup and winking at him.


	9. Chapter 9

The four of them chatted about random things as they forced the alcohol down. After awhile, Liam started feeling warm, his cheeks flushed as the alcohol started to work through his system. Sure enough, his body wasn't able to break it down like it normally would. He felt his fingers start to tingle and frowned at them.

"Alright?" Theo asked.

"My fingers feel weird," Liam said, looking at him, showing them to Theo.

"You're tipsy," Theo laughed. It was a nice laugh, Liam thought as he wiggled his fingers, trying to rid them of the pins and needles running through them.

"Probably," he agreed cheerfully. Being tipsy was awesome, he decided. "Do your fingers feel tingly, too?" He asked, grabbing Theo's hands and examining them.

"No," Theo replied, laughing.

"You're tipsy as well," Liam declared. "Your cheeks are red." He ran one hand over Theo's cheek, feeling how warm it was.

"I might be," Theo admitted.

"Drunk Liam is handsy," Corey giggled.

"Liam with the hands," Mason agreed, nodding solemnly. The two boys were both sitting on the ground now. Mason had his arm around Corey who was snuggled up against him. From the looks of Mason's almost empty bottle, he had surpassed tipsy awhile ago now. Between the rest of them, the other bottle was now gone too.

"We should start walking to the party," Liam decided, standing up. He swayed slightly, and Theo caught him around the waist, steadying him.

Theo stood slowly, his eyes intense with unfamiliar emotion, his hands still at Liam's waist. Liam swallowed at how close the other boy was as he stared into his blue eyes.

"Good idea," Mason said as he scrambled to his feet, pulling Corey up with him. They walked out of the room. Liam stayed where he was.

"I thought we were leaving," Theo said in a low voice.

"We are," Liam whispered. His eyes dropped to Theo's lips. The tingle in Liam's fingers turned into an ache as he turned away from Theo and grabbed a jacket. He wanted to kiss the other boy so badly it hurt.

He closed his eyes for a moment as he took a shaky breath, pulling the jacket on.

Not yet, something in him whispered, not yet.

Theo followed Liam outside and waited for him to lock up the house. On the footpath, Mason and Corey were leaning against Theo's car, making out. Liam rolled his eyes, used to them by now, but also a teensy bit jealous.

"Oi," Theo called out, a little growl in his voice.

The two sprang apart, looking guilty.

"Sorry," Corey said. The effect of the apology was ruined by the mass of hickeys on his neck.

Liam snickered.

"What?" Corey asked.

"Those won't fade until tomorrow," Theo replied, smirking at him. "Wolfsbane slows down your healing."

Corey and Mason both blushed as Corey tried to pull his jacket tighter around his neck. Liam leaned against Theo as he laughed while Mason tried to apologise.

"Let's go," Corey muttered, pouting as his hand rubbed his neck.

"Where are we going?" Theo asked. He followed the other boys, staying close to Liam's side.

"Nathan's place," Liam said. "His text says he has a keg and a live DJ. There's lots of people going."

"He's on the lacrosse team as well?" Theo asked.

"Yeah, he's a king douche," Liam said with a scowl.

"He's probably making up for the party you stole from him,' Mason said with a chuckle.

"How do you steal a party?" Theo asked, looking confused.

"We moved his start of season party to Scott's house, to protect a friend of ours from the Ghost Riders. He was pissed," Liam explained.

"Even though we saved his ass," Mason pointed out. "I had to give him $200 as well to make him back down."

"Sounds like a dick," Theo said.

"Pretty sure he had sex with Malia," Corey said.

"Wait, what? You didn't tell me that!" Mason exclaimed.

"I didn't think anyone would care. I saw him talk to her after school, something about chains," Corey said, frowning.

"Then you're right, I definitely don't want to know," Liam said with a shudder. He had had a crush on Malia very briefly that had been completely based on looks. Personality wise, that girl was terrifying.

"Agreed," Theo said.

They could hear the party before the saw it. Laughter could be heard clearly, and Liam could feel the thrum of the music as a tangible thing.

"We should dance," Mason said, his eyes bright.

"Definitely," Corey agreed. They disappeared into the party almost immediately.

"This is really why you wanted me to come, isn't it?" Theo teased. "Didn't want to be a third wheel."

"Could have something to do with it," Liam grinned at him.

"Or maybe it's my charm," Theo said, tapping his chin thoughtfully with a finger. "Great personality, stunning looks."

"Modesty is not your strong point, is it?" Liam said, dryly.

"Have you seen my face?' Theo said with a smirk. Liam remembered their conversation from the night before and laughed.

"It's alright, I guess," Liam repeated, same as he had then, smiling back. More than alright, he thought with a sigh. He was so good-looking it hurt to look at him, especially with the way he was smiling at him right now.

"Come on," Theo said. "Let's get another drink."

"What's the point?" Liam asked, following him.

"It'll keep affecting you now that the wolfsbane is in your system. I told you, I'm getting you wasted," Theo explained. He grinned at Liam over his shoulder, and Liam felt his heart rate increase. "You game?' It was a devil's smile, wickedly sinful.

"Fuck yeah," Liam replied, selling his soul with a flourish. He wasn't going anywhere.

"Good," Theo said, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the party. They found the alcohol in the kitchen and Theo's eyes raked over the offerings before selecting a bottle of vodka from the table. "This will do." He then led Liam through the house until they reached the backyard.

There was almost fifty people in the backyard. Some were swimming in the pool or lounging around it. Some were off to one side, dancing on the grass in front of the DJ's booth. Liam smiled, watching Mason and Corey jumping around. Theo spotted a few deck chairs free on the pool and dragged Liam over there.

Theo opened the bottle and took a few mouthfuls before passing it to Liam. Liam smiled and took a long drag before handing it back. It didn't burn anywhere near as much as the wolfsbane-laced scotch had, but he could still feel it warm his stomach.

Mason and Corey collapsed by their feet, laughing. Theo passed them the bottle and they both took a swig as well.

"We should play a game," Mason suggested, his eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, I love party games," Corey yelled. This gathered attention, and soon they were part of a big circle of people playing Never Have I Ever. The chairs were discarded and Liam ended up being squished between Mason and Theo.

"Never have I ever kissed my best friend," Corey declared, waving the bottle of vodka in Liam and Mason's faces. They both laughed and drank. A few other people drank as well.

The girl on the other side of Corey went next, "Never have I ever gone skinny dipping."

"Drink," Mason whispered to Corey, who blushed as he put the vodka in his hands. Liam snickered as Corey drank it.

"Pass it here," Theo sighed.

"What?" Liam exclaimed. "When?"

"Not for sordid purposes, I assure you," Theo rolled his eyes as he drank. He's living out of his truck, remember, Liam scolded himself. Still, the thought of Theo out by the lake, naked under the moon as he dragged his hands over his body was a bewitching one.

Next was, "Never have I ever gone down on someone." Liam didn't drink. Theo didn't drink either. Mason and Corey both did, giving each other lurid winks.

"Get a room," Theo laughed as Liam leaned away from them in mock disgust, pressing himself against Theo in the process.

The game went around, and they quietly jeered and ribbed at each other as they drank for various purposes. Liam was pleasantly drunk now, a wide happy grin overtaking his face as he laughed and teased his friends. But then, finally, it was Theo's turn.

"Never have I ever masturbated in the shower," he said. Liam's heart plummeted into his stomach as he stared at Theo, horrified. Theo's eyes twinkled at him, a wide smirk on his face.

Others laughed and jeered around him. Liam was as red as a tomato as Theo pressed the bottle of vodka into his chest. He drank slowly, his eyes never moving from Theo's.

"You heard that?" he muttered, softly so no one else could hear them.

"Hard not to," Theo said in a low voice. A hint of lust leaked from him, and Liam felt dizzy. "Not that I was complaining."

"Christ," Liam muttered, his heart racing.

"It's your turn, Liam," Mason said, nudging his arm.

"Uh, never have I ever had sex at school," he said quickly. Mason blushed.

"Dude!" Corey yelled, also blushing.

"Driiiiiiink," Liam smirked, shoving the bottle at them. They grumbled but took a sip. Mason moved on with his question, but Liam ignored it, turning back to Theo.

"Wanna find somewhere a bit quieter?" He asked.

"Are you propositioning me, Dunbar?" Theo shot back.

"Have you seen your face?" Liam returned, standing up and pulling Theo to his feet as well.

"Touché," Theo laughed.

It was Liam's turn to grab his hand and lead him through the party. He went through the house and back out the front. As soon as they were far away enough from the party, Liam pushed Theo against a tree, his hands bunched in Theo's shirt, giving him every chance to back out before he closed in, brushing his lips gently over the other boy's.

His mouth glided over Theo's, exploring, his tongue darting out to taste him. He groaned as Theo met Liam's tongue with his own, and the kiss turned passionate. Theo wrapped his hands around Liam's waist, pulling him closer and returning the kiss eagerly. Liam released Theo's shirt and slid his hands into Theo's hair as their mouths gripped.

When they came up for air, Liam panted, smiling widely.

Theo leaned against the tree, breathing deeply and looking thoroughly debauched. His hair was falling into his face and his mouth was red and swollen.

"That was a hell of a kiss," Theo said, looking a bit stunned. His control was clearly gone, as lust swirled around him, intoxicating Liam more than any alcoholic drink ever could.

Liam preened under the compliment, running a finger over his tingling lips.

"That's nothing," Liam said, diving back in for another kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

Liam was on cloud nine. His plan was working better than he had ever thought possible. Theo was so open to hanging out with them, had stayed at Liam's place with minimal fuss and the way he kissed Liam back left little doubt to how he felt about Liam.

Theo's hand was in his own as they sat on the low fence of the house opposite to the party, watching teenagers stumble in and out of the party.

"I'm glad you came," Liam said, a smile dancing on his lips, looking at Theo from the corner of his eye.

Theo, who was staring down at their interlocked hands, took a moment to look up. "Yeah?'

"Of course," Liam said, turning to look at him. "I like spending time with you."

Theo nodded, then ducked his head down, almost shy.

Liam was struck then by how different Theo had become since he had come back. Old Theo had seemed a bit vulnerable and sad, which had been an act that he had dropped in a heartbeat when it no longer suited him, but now it was real. The more time he spent with Theo, the more Liam realised how lost and confused the other boy was.

He was so unsure of himself, and of his place in the world.

"Shall we go back in?" Liam suggested. "The others are probably wondering what happened to us."

"Sure," Theo nodded. They stood up and Liam leaned forward to give him a soft kiss. He pulled away slowly and smiled, his heart fluttering in his chest. He was in so deep, already. Theo was already his anchor, and the idea that they could be more than that was filling him with warmth.

"Come on," he said, leading Theo back into the party. Theo followed obediently, and they weaved through the wasted, hormonal teenagers filling the house to return to the backyard.

They found Corey and Mason dancing again and joined them on the dancefloor.

"And where have you two been?" Mason asked, raising an eyebrow at them. Corey, who was leaning heavily on Mason for support, waggled his eyebrows, leering at them.

"Here and there," Liam said vaguely, looking at Theo with a happy smile.

"Uh huh," Mason returned, looking at them with suspicion.

Corey winked at Liam as he kissed Mason's neck, distracting him. Liam gave him a grateful look. He knew that there was an interrogation coming, but he wasn't ready to face it just yet.

"Wanna dance?" Liam asked.

"Nah, I suck at dancing," Theo replied with a shrug.

"What?" Liam said, laughing. "I thought you were good at everything?"

"Nope," Theo replied. "I'm just better than you at everything."

"Except dancing, apparently," Liam said, grinning as he goaded the other boy. He started goofing around, throwing his hands in the air as he shifted from side to side. Theo stared at him, eyes narrowed.

"Really? A dance off? That's so cliché," he grumbled.

"Well if you're too chicken," Liam drawled, raising a challenging eyebrow at him.

Theo growled, but grudgingly joined in. He looked deeply uncomfortable, his eyes darting around.

"Relax," Liam said, grabbing his hands. "No one else gives a shit what you're doing. Just enjoy yourself."

Theo calmed slightly at his touch and focussed on Liam as the other boy lead him through a few simple moves. Soon, he could pull away and Theo danced with a little more confidence. A few songs later and he was even smiling as he started to get a little lost in the music.

A fast song came on and Liam started jumping around enthusiastically, looking like an idiot and not even caring. Theo laughed at him but joined in, banging his head in time to the beat. His hair, slightly damp, stuck to his face, and Liam stopped dancing to push it away from his eyes. Theo stilled, watching him with wary eyes.

He's still not quite sure of me, Liam realised.

"Let's go get another drink and sit down," Liam said, swiping at his own hair, smoothing it back.

"Good idea," Theo agreed.

They grabbed two bottles of some type of alcopop that was probably more sugar than vodka, and retreated to the seats they had claimed earlier. Miraculously, they were free again, and they settled into them with happy sighs.

Liam took a sip of his bright red drink, grimacing at the artificial taste. Theo took a long swallow of his, and wrinkled up his nose. It was adorable.

"How do people drink these things?" Liam asked. "They taste like poison."

"I feel like you would get more high on the sugar than anything else," Theo said, looking at his electric blue drink dubiously.

Liam hummed in agreement as he choked down another sip. For awhile they stayed quiet, watching the people around them dance around and have a good time.

"Look at Mason and Corey," Liam said, leaning closer to Theo to point them out. They were still over on the dancefloor, only now they were ignoring everything and everyone around them, furiously making out.

Theo laughed, shaking his head.

"They'll sneak off soon," Liam whispered, "find a quiet corner to turn invisible."

"I take it they do that a lot," Theo said, turning to look at him.

"Yeah," Liam said with a smirk. "I think they forget that I have werewolf hearing, and that I can hear everything they get up to."

"You poor thing," Theo laughed. He took another sip of his drink, and Liam smiled as he realised that Theo's tongue was turning blue.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to concentrate during class when all you can hear is them moaning each other's names?" Liam deadpanned.

Theo threw his head back and laughed, his shoulders shaking as he clutched at his stomach. Liam grinned at him. Eventually Theo calmed down, wiping a tear of laughter from his eyes.

"Look, there they go," he said, nodding his head towards Mason and Corey.

The other boys slunk away to the back of the garden, and vanished. Tilting their heads to the side, Theo and Liam burst out laughing again as they heard a zip dragged down.

"That's too much," Theo sniggered.

"Welcome to my life," Liam said with a shrug.

"Could be worse," Theo pointed out.

"True," Liam said, giving him a lingering smile. He stared into Theo's eyes, who bit his lip and looked down.

Movement around them distracted Liam, and he glanced around to realise that somehow, they were part of a circle again. From the bottle that had been placed in the middle, it was easy to guess what game was being played. He put his drink down and started to stand.

"Uhhh, maybe we should sit somewhere else," Liam said with a frown. Before they could get move, a girl near the other side of the circle spun the bottle, and it turned around four times, slowed and then came to a sudden stop in front of Theo.

Liam saw red as the girl swooped in with a shy smile, grabbed the front of Theo's jacket and planted a kiss on him. The crowd around them cheered as the girl pulled away and returned to her spot, blushing and staring at Theo. Theo just looked stunned.

Almost immediately, claws placed bloody indents in his palms as Liam screwed his eyes shut, turning his face away to hide his features. Rage thrummed through his body, his wolf howled, and Liam had to get away before he could do something he regretted.

"Wait, Liam," Theo said, as he shot to his feet and stormed away.

He could hear the other boy following him, but focussed on getting as far away from the fragile teenagers as possible. Theo didn't manage to catch up to him until he was several hundred metres down the road.

"Hey," Theo said, catching at his arm.

"I'm fine,' Liam said, stopping but not turning around.

"You're not fine," Theo said insistently. He used his strength to turn Liam, who stared at him balefully through yellow eyes, his fangs protruding from his mouth in a snarl.

"I wanted to kill her for touching you," Liam growled.

"But you didn't," Theo said. His hands slid down Liam's arm and caught at his hand. Slowly, he coaxed it open, forcing him to release his claws from the flesh of his palm. Blood trickled from his hands and dripped onto the road.

Sadness drifted around Theo, before he tamped it down and grabbed the other hand. Liam closed his eyes, breathing in Theo's scent and trying to calm down.

But all he could smell was the cheap artificial flowery scent that clung to the front of Theo's jacket. A low growl rumbled through his chest.

"What is it?" Theo asked quietly.

"You smell like her," Liam snarled. Theo dropped his hands and pulled the jacket off, throwing it to the side.

"Does that help?" He asked quietly.

Liam stepped closer, scenting at Theo's neck. The smell was less obvious now. His wolf settled as Liam pulled Theo close, gripping onto the other boy's shirt as he buried his face in Theo's neck, his nose running along it as he inhaled his earthy scent.

Once he was calm his hands healed, and he stepped away, looking at Theo through blue eyes once more. He let go of Theo's shirt, dismayed to see that he had covered it in blood.

"Sorry," he muttered, looking guilty.

"I don't care about the shirt, Liam," Theo said.

"We can't go back to the party with you looking like you got stabbed," Liam said, shaking his head with a wry smile.

"It was getting lame anyway," Theo shrugged, smiling back.

Liam shot Mason a text that announced they were leaving while Theo retrieved his jacket. He was relieved to see that he didn't put it back on, choosing to carry it instead. Side by side, they walked down the road, comfortable and silent in each other's company.

By the time they reached Liam's house, he felt almost sober. The effects of the wolfsbane were wearing off, and the alcohol in his system was being broken down quickly. It made sneaking in through his window simple, but the after-effects of the drinking made them both exhausted.

Shirts and pants were discarded and thrown away, and then they settled onto Liam's bed, dressed only in their underwear. No mention was made of the spare room.

"Goodnight," Liam whispered.

"Night," Theo whispered back.

Liam leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Theo's mouth, before moving away to find a comfortable position to sleep. Within moments, everything faded to black as sleep took him.


	11. Chapter 11

When Liam woke up it was past eleven, and a quick, bleary glance around showed him that he was alone. He checked his phone to see a text from Theo.

 _Hey sleepyhead, had a few things to do this morning 9:02am_

Liam rolled over onto his back and pouted up at the ceiling. He had been hoping to spend the day with Theo, just bumming around, maybe exploring the new part of their relationship a little.

With a groan, he rolled over and stumbled into the bathroom, relieving himself. After he was done, he stared into the mirror, examining the contented smile on his face.

For the first time, in a long time, things felt like they were looking up.

He had a shower and then dressed in a pair of sweatpants. When he dragged his feet down to the kitchen, he found it empty, again. He sighed as grabbed an apple from the bowl. No Theo around, parents were at work, Corey and Mason were almost definitely snuggling together in bed, so he was probably stuck on his own for the day.

Within half an hour he was already sick of his own company, so he grabbed his sneakers and headphones and went for a run. Music blasted through his headphones as he sprinted down the road.

The itchy feeling in his fingers subsided as he ran, shaking off his restlessness with each pounding footstep. His mind went blank as he focussed on placing one foot in front of the other.

On his way back, he stopped at the nearby park and paused at one of the drink taps and guzzled some water. He pulled off his headphones and ducked his head under the tap, and then flipped his hair back as he stood up.

"Christ, Liam," Theo muttered. Liam whirled around to find Theo a few metres away from him, eyes tracking the droplets of water sliding down his chest.

Liam smirked, happy for the tables to be turned on Theo for a change.

"Hey," he said, looking at Theo through lowered eyelashes. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a plain black shirt, both of which smelt like cheap washing detergent. Explains what the errand had been.

"How are you feeling after last night?" Theo asked, raising an eyebrow at him, crossing his arms in front of his chest,

"Fine," Liam said with a shrug. "Just a bit agitated. I had to get out of the house."

"That's normal," Theo replied. "Your body is burning through the last of the wolfsbane, and there's no better way to do that than to get your blood pumping."

"Is that right?" Liam said with a suggestive smile.

Theo rolled his eyes but smiled. They walked back to Theo's truck and Liam hopped in, pushing his damp hair back from his face.

"Wanna go get something to eat?" Theo asked.

"Sure," Liam said. "I have to go home first though." He gestured to his chest.

"Here," Theo said, reaching into the backseat and grabbing a shirt, "wear one of mine."

Liam blinked at him as he held the shirt in his hands, staring at Theo. The other boy ignored him, turning the key and pulling out onto the road. With a shake of his head, Liam pulled the shirt on.

Theo glanced at him and smiled as Liam sniffed at the collar, inhaling the other boy's scent.

"Where are we going?" Liam asked.

"Down to the diner," Theo said, turning onto the main street.

"Is this a date?" Liam teased.

"Do you want it to be?" Theo said, turning to smile at Liam. Liam's heart fluttered, and the other boy chuckled. "Then it's a date."

Theo almost oozed charm during the date, and Liam was taken aback. He teased him, brushed his hand and even fed him some fries. He liked it as much as he was confused by it.

Over the next few days, Liam spent as much of his time with Theo as he could. He invited him over, texted him during the day and spent every waking minute thinking about him. Theo was amazing, but something about the way he was acting struck false. He happily went along with everything Liam suggested but he rarely ever initiated anything, and he was still closely guarding his emotions.

"What's going on with you, Liam?" Mason asked, as he finally managed to corner Liam after school.

"Nothing," Liam said, staring at Mason with wide, innocent eyes.

"Bullshit," Mason said, poking Liam in the chest. "You're dodging me, and you're spending all of your time with Theo."

"That was the plan, remember?" Liam snarked.

"It was," Mason agreed, looking at him closely. "We wanted to help Theo, cheer him up a bit, include him so that he realised he could actually turn to us for help, cause he's pack as well."

"Yeah, so what's the issue then?" Liam asked.

"This is more than that, isn't it?" Mason said quietly.

Liam bit his lip and looked down.

"Tell me what's going on, Liam," he said.

"I like him," Liam said quietly. "A lot."

"Does he like you back?" Mason asked.

"I have no idea," Liam whispered. "He acts like he likes me, and he kisses me back, but."

"Wait, wait, you kissed?" Mason exclaimed, leaning back in shock.

Liam thought back to the party, when he had pushed Theo up against a tree and kissed him, and when he had lain in his bed later, kissing him softly before they went to sleep, or even just this morning, when Theo had driven him to school and Liam had leaned over and kissed him hungrily before getting out of the car. He smiled.

"Uh, yeah," Liam said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So, how was it?" Mason asked, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Amazing," Liam said. "He's amazing." Liam bit his lip, frowning.

Mason crossed his arms and frowned. "I'm sensing a but."

"He's so pleasant," Liam said, sounding bewildered.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Mason asked.

"No, it's annoying," he growled. He struggled for a minute, pacing, as he tried to put his thoughts into words "He agrees with me about everything. When I kiss him, he kisses me back, but he never initiates anything. He stays over if I ask him to but if I don't message him, he won't message me or ask to come over or see me. No matter what I suggest he always says yes, even if it's something I know he doesn't like," Liam explained.

"That's a bit weird," Mason said, frowning. "Have you talked to him about it?"

"No," Liam said, staring at his clenched fists helplessly. "But I think I have to. I hate feeling like he's just doing this to make me happy. I want something real, not whatever this is."

"Liam," Mason said quietly, standing up and reaching a hand out to him. Liam allowed the other boy to grip his shoulder as he stared down at the ground, fighting down the emotion that threatened to choke him. He wanted Theo, so badly it hurt, but not like this. Maybe it was selfish, but he couldn't be happy with only half of Theo. If he was jumping in with both feet, he wanted Theo doing the same.

"This is what I was afraid of," Mason said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Liam asked, looking at him.

"I knew you had a bit of a thing for him," Mason explained. "Which is why I encouraged you hanging out with him and including him more, but I think maybe you're pushing him a bit too fast."

"You think so?" Liam said, an anguished look on his face.

"I mean, he's been through so much, you know? I think he's been putting on a brave face for a long time now, like he doesn't know any other way to act," Mason said. "I think you need to be sure that he's not just humouring you because you're the first real friend he's ever had."

"You're right," Liam admitted, blinking back tears. He had to talk to Theo, and soon. He couldn't go on like this, not if it wasn't what Theo really wanted. He hated the idea of Theo not returning his affection, but not as much as he was sickened by the thought of forcing Theo into a relationship with him.

"I'll talk to him now," Liam promised.

"Ok, text me and let me know how it goes," Mason said softly. Liam nodded, and his heart raced as he walked towards the car park alongside Mason.

Leaning against his truck was Theo. Liam steeled himself, gave Mason a tight smile, and walked towards him.


	12. Chapter 12

"Hey," Theo greeted as Liam chucked his bag into the back and climbed in. "How was school?"

"Hey, it was alright," Liam replied. He stared out the window as Theo started up his car and drove out onto the road.

He didn't know what to say. How to even start this conversation. What if Theo didn't really want him?

A few metres down the road, Theo pulled over onto the side of the road and looked at him, "Liam, what's wrong? Did something happen?" There was so much concern in his voice that Liam had to screw his eyes shut and clench his fists to try and stifle his emotions. How did Theo do this so easily? It felt like there was a huge rock pressing into his chest, making it hard to breathe.

"Liam?" Theo said, starting to panic as the other boy held his breath. He pulled off his seatbelt and leaned over, running his hands over Liam's chest. "You need to breathe."

Liam took a deep, shuddering breath past the pain in his chest and tried not to melt into the way Theo was now running one hand over his cheek. How could Theo do this and not care about Liam? How could all that concern be faked? He couldn't stand knowing that Theo could be pandering to Liam's feelings and ignoring his own. It made him angry, and now he was trying to suppress his wolf instead.

"Do you like me?" Liam asked, almost growling.

"What?" Theo asked, leaning back in shock.

Liam turned his yellow eyes onto the other wolf, every sense tuned into him. He had to know the truth.

"You heard me," he said, head tilted as he listened to Theo's rising heartbeat.

"Of course I like you," Theo said, concern turning into annoyance, his eyebrows furrowed.

"You know what I mean, Theo," Liam said, glaring at him. "I need to know if you actually want me, that you want to be with me."

"Things have been going well," Theo argued. "What's your problem?"

"I don't know," Liam replied, frustrated. "You're treating me like glass and I can't stand it. I'm not perfect."

"What does that even mean?" Theo scoffed, crossing his arms.

"You've put me on a fucking pedestal or something, Theo. And it feels fake," Liam said, looking at him intently, knowing that the words were coming out wrong, but he had to try.

"I don't understand," Theo said, shaking his head and looking confused.

"Of course you don't," Liam sighed. "Maybe this was a mistake."

"You kissed me," Theo said. "You started this."

"I did," Liam snapped, "because I like you, because I want to be with you."

"Then what's the problem? It's what you want!" Theo growled, getting angry.

"I don't want you to be with me because it's what I want. It has to be what you want too, you idiot," Liam yelled, shoving Theo in the chest with both hands. "You should kiss me back because you want to, not from some fucked up idea that you owe me because I saved you."

"It felt good, what does it matter?" Theo yelled, pushing him back.

"It matters," Liam snarled. "Of course, it fucking matters. What do you want, Theo?"

"I don't know what I want. I'm fucked up, ok?" Theo spat, his hands shaking with pent-up emotion.

Anger-frustration-anguish-despair-guilt rolled off in Theo waves, overwhelming Liam's senses and he reeled backwards from the cloud of thick, black emotion.

Theo's eyes widened as Liam shrank backwards, and the stink of self-hatred settled around him. Liam sighed, running a hand through his hair as the fight left his body.

"Let me know when you figure it out," he said softly, shaking his head. "I'll be here."

They drove the rest of the way to Liam's house in silence. Theo turned the car off and Liam looked at him, sadness drifting around him like a cloak. Theo stared out the front windshield, his face stony, with not a whiff of emotion to be found. Liam sighed.

"Will you come inside?" Liam asked tentatively.

Theo turned to look at him slowly, his eyes dull and empty. He was in control, had tamped down on every skerrick of emotion until there was nothing, no life in him.

"You can sleep in the spare room," Liam said, biting his lip. "I won't force you to, but the offer is there."

Theo's hands tightened on the steering wheel as he looked away again, and Liam felt the dismissal clearly. His eyes watered as he got out of the truck and grabbed his bag. Theo drove away without saying a single word.

Liam stood and watched him go, every sense yearning towards the other boy. It had been the right thing to do, but it felt awful.

He ran inside the house, slamming the front door as he barrelled into his room, fell face forward onto his bed, and let his walls drop. Loud, painful sobs erupted from him as he clutched his pillow to his chest. Theo's scent, normally soothing, broke him apart, and he wailed into it as he pressed his nose into the cotton, trying to muffle the noise.

His mum ran into his room and paused at the door, hesitating as she stared at her son. She walked forward slowly and sat on the bed behind him. Liam turned to her as she gently coaxed his head into her lap, stroking her hands through his hair as he cried.

"Shhh, it's okay," she whispered. "I'm here, darling, you're okay."

It took him almost ten minutes to calm down enough to wipe his eyes and sit up to look at his mum.

"You want to talk about it sweetheart?" His mum asked, worry lacing her tone.

Liam shrugged, looking down. She stared at him for a moment and then got up, smoothing one hand over his hair.

"I'll get you something to eat," she said. He nodded and lay down as she left the room. He felt numb as he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.

He heard his mother move around, talking to his stepdad. "I'm worried about him."

Liam rolled over, pulling the blanket over himself. He closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep when she returned a few minutes later.

She set a plate on his bedside table and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"I love you, Liam," she whispered.

She shut the door behind her, and Liam opened his eyes, staring at nothing, trying as hard as he could to feel nothing, to be numb.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he grabbed it.

How did it go? 4:11pm

He left 4:11pm

I'll be there in five 4:12pm

Liam sighed and dropped his phone back onto the bed, turning over and burying his face into his pillow. He didn't feel like seeing Mason, but he didn't care enough to argue.

A few minutes later, Liam heard a knock on the door, and quiet voices as his mum let Mason in.

"He's in his room," she said.

"Thanks Mrs Geyer," Mason responded. The other boy let himself into the dark room and flopped down next to him.

"Hey," Liam said quietly, his voice hoarse as he looked at Mason from within his cocoon of blankets.

"Hey," Mason said, rolling onto his side to look at him. "What happened?"

"I asked him if he wanted me," Liam croaked. "And he couldn't answer, so he left."

Mason sighed.

"I guess it's for the best," he offered, frowning.

"How?" Liam sniffled.

"You wanted the truth, and what three things cannot long be hidden?" Mason asked.

"The sun, the moon, the truth," Liam whispered.

"Did he say he didn't want you?" Mason asked.

Liam thought back.

"No, he said he didn't know what he wanted. He said he's fucked up," he replied.

"Then there's your truth," Mason said with a shrug. "He needs some space to figure out what he wants. Let him have it."

"But he looked so empty," Liam said.

"I have a theory about that," Mason said.

Liam raised an eyebrow and waited for him to elaborate.

"I've been watching Theo as well, for awhile now. He always responds to you, it's like he comes alive. Around anyone else, you might get a bit of sarcasm or him laughing at your expense, but for the most part he doesn't engage with anyone else emotionally. I think that he saw emotions as a weapon for such a long time that he just pushes them down automatically, doesn't let himself feel anything. But with you, he can't seem to help it, and it terrifies him."

"And you can only feel one emotion at a time," Liam whispered.

"What?" Mason asked, frowning.

"Something Theo said once," Liam said. Theo had lashed out in anger because he was afraid. What Mason was saying made a lot of sense. He really had been pushing Theo too far, too quickly. He had been so caught up in how much he liked Theo that he hadn't really considered things from the other boy's point of view.

For a long time, Theo had fought for power and control, to survive all the bullshit life had thrown at him. Had he ever stopped and considered happiness? It was unlikely with the way he had been brought up by the Dread Doctors.

"Liam," Mason said, "talk to me."

"I don't know what to do," Liam said helplessly.

"Give him a few days," Mason suggested. "if you don't hear from him then we'll go hunt him down and kick his ass. But he needs time to think."

Liam sighed. He wanted to fix things with Theo straight away, but Mason was right. He needed to stop being selfish and give Theo some space to figure things out.

"Ok," he sighed, rolling onto his back.


	13. Chapter 13

The problem with having another person as your anchor is that when they're not around, everything goes to shit. Liam had not been sleeping well, tossing and turning every night, and he had fought with all his friends, his parents, his teachers, and now at lacrosse practice, Coach was sticking a finger in the middle of his chest.

"I don't know what's going on with you, Liam," Finstock hissed, "but you're gonna be running laps until you puke."

He nodded, almost relieved, and turned without a word to start running. The practice wound down and same as the previous week, Liam was the last one left.

Coach tried calling out to him, but Liam waved him off. The exercise was helping his wolf calm down, and nothing else he had done so far had been able to help.

With each day, his anxiety grew. There was no word from Theo, no texts, not so much as a whiff of his scent in town. It terrified Liam, that maybe Theo had left for good.

 _Selfish, selfish, selfish_. The word pounded through his head to the same beat as his shoes on the grass.

Eventually, he was too exhausted to continue, and he flopped to the ground in front of the bleachers with a sigh.

"I was starting to think you'd be running all night," Brett said.

Liam, who had noticed the beta's scent awhile ago, said nothing.

"Mason says you had a fight with Theo," Brett continued, when it was clear that Liam wasn't going to respond. "What happened?"

"Do you come past here just to see me?" Liam asked in a dull voice.

"Yes," Brett admitted.

"Why?" Liam asked.

"If I said it was because I liked you?" Brett replied. Liam heard his heart skip.

"You'd be lying," Liam said firmly. He sat up slowly and turned to look at the other boy. "You've never been interested in me that way, so that means you want something. Spit it out."

Brett squirmed slightly underneath Liam's penetrating gaze.

"Fine," he sighed. "I want to join your pack."

Nothing Brett had said could have surprised him more.

"What?" Liam said, looking stunned and confused. "Why?"

"My pack is dead, remember. And I only survived being hit by that truck because of you," Brett said quietly. "Lori said you performed CPR on me for fifteen minutes while you waited for the ambulance to arrive. Without that, I never would have survived."

Liam closed his eyes, remembering that horrific night. Monroe and Gerard had cornered them, and Liam had flown out of the manhole in time to grab Lori's ankle and pull her down, using that momentum to leap up and grab Brett around the waist. She screamed as she heard the thud above her, and the two boys went rolling, Liam doing his best to wrap around the already injured boy and take the brunt of the impact.

Everyone had always said that Liam was exceptionally strong for a beta, and somehow, he had proved it that night, ignoring the pain he was in and the stares of the people around them as he listened for Brett's heartbeat. Hearing nothing, his focus had narrowed in on the movements he had learned in Health, stopping every thirty pumps to give two breaths.

Malia had been the one to pull him off when the ambulance arrived, and the paramedics got to work with a defibrillator.

At the burst of electricity, Brett had arched forward with a roar, fangs bared and eyes glowing yellow.

It had had the intended effect that Gerard and Monroe had been after, but Liam hadn't cared.

"You're ok," he breathed, as the world rushed back into focus. Brett had looked at him, calming instantly, and was docile as the nervous paramedics packed him into the ambulance.

"I'll keep you updated," Lori had said, grasping Liam's hand as she got into the ambulance with him.

It was one of the few accomplishments that burned in Liam's chest, filling him with a fierce pride. It was something he had done right, second only to bringing Theo back from hell.

"Ok," Liam said, opening his eyes. "You're in the pack."

"Lori too?" Brett asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"Obviously," Liam rolled his eyes.

"Do we have to move here?" Brett asked, indicating the high school behind him.

"Not if you don't want to. But it would make things easier," he admitted.

"I guess we'll be on the same team again," Brett smirked.

Liam smiled back weakly. Ordinarily, he would probably find that funny, or at least ironic, but he was still distracted by thoughts of Theo. Brett stood up and moved closer to Liam.

"He's in the preserve," Brett said quietly.

"How do you know?" Liam asked, staring up at him.

"Everyone in town has been talking about the big, black wolf running around in there, howling like it's in pain," Brett informed him. "When Mason said you guys had fought, I knew it had to be him."

"Thank you," Liam said as he slowly got to his feet. Exhaustion and worry made him stumble, and Brett caught his arm, holding him up.

"I'll give you a lift," Brett offered. Liam nodded, and they walked slowly to where Brett's car was parked.

They were silent as Brett drove, and Liam's mind raced as he considered what to say to Theo when he saw him. Brett had said he was howling in pain. Was he hurt? Why hadn't Theo come to him for help?

Eventually, the car rumbled to a stop, and Brett gripped his shoulder. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Liam muttered as he undid his seatbelt and got out of the car.

He took a few steps into the woods and inhaled deeply. The breeze brought a faint whiff of Theo's scent to him, and Liam's pulse jumped as he turned to follow it. The further he went into the preserve, the clearer the scent got. Liam was alarmed to note the amount of pain that clung to every tree and bush he walked past.

Theo was hurt.

He howled, calling to his beta, and cocked his head as he waited for a reply.

A mournful howl came back, and Liam charged towards it, ignoring the branches that whipped cross his face.

He found the wolf hiding at the base of a tree, twigs and leaves strewn through his fur. Liam approached cautiously, wary of the panicked glint in Theo's eyes.

"Theo, it's just me, it's Liam, I'm here," he said in a low voice, crouching low as he inched towards the other wolf.

Theo whined, but allowed Liam close enough to touch him.

"Hey," Liam said softly, running his hands through Theo's fur, gently displacing the items littered through it as he searched for any sign of injury. Theo laid his head down on his paws while Liam groomed him. There was no blood, but Liam realised with a start that there was more to pain than being injured. Hadn't he been in pain all week, separated from Theo?

"I'm sorry," Liam whispered, fighting back tears. "I shouldn't have pushed you."

Theo looked up at him, golden eyes intense. He tilted his head as he considered the other boy.

"You weren't ready. I basically forced myself on you, and then I got so mad when you couldn't return my feelings," Liam continued. He couldn't stop the tears now, and he gripped his hands in Theo's fur as they ran down his cheeks. "You came back from hell, and I didn't even think about what you would need to recover from that, I just treated you the same as always. It was wrong."

His voice cracked, and he removed his hands as he rocked back and sat down, pressing them to his eyes as he tried to stop the fountain of tears pouring from him. Even now he was forcing his emotions on Theo, who couldn't handle it. He was making it about himself, again.

"I'm so selfish," Liam whispered, full of self-hatred.

Suddenly, there were human hands pulling his arms to the side, and Theo was there. He was filthy, his hair matted, his eyes dull, but to Liam he was still heart-wrenchingly beautiful.

"I'm sorry," Theo said, his voice hoarse.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Liam said, anguished.

"I do. I ran away, rather than face you and tell you the truth," Theo said, dropping his eyes.

Liam said nothing, just watching him. For once, he was not going to interrupt, he was going to listen.

Theo shook his head, his eyes distant as he tried to find words.

"It was like, with the Dread Doctors, I wasn't allowed to have emotions, to be weak. They taught me to control them, to control my chemo-signals to transmit whatever I wanted, to manipulate others. For a long time, that's all I thought emotion was, just a chemical in your body. It didn't matter. I was so," Theo paused as he shook his head, "empty," he said eventually. "I was empty."

Liam shuddered as emotion swelled through him, choking him. His lip trembled, and he fought back his tears with every ounce of strength. Theo was finally talking to him, really talking to him.

"And then I went to hell," Theo said with a bitter laugh. "Where every single thing you've ever done wrong is laid in front of you, and you burn for every single harsh word, every single hurt, every single bit of agony you inflicted upon another person is flayed into your body. And then it repeats the next day, and there's no hope of it stopping, so you numb yourself, shut everything away and just endure."

Theo's hands shook as he stared down at them.

"Sometimes they make you think that it's over, that you escaped, and then at the last minute you're dragged back down into hell, and they laugh in your face as a new cycle begins. So that you don't trust your surroundings anymore, you don't know what reality is," Theo said. "I'm still not sure if this is even real," he whispered.

Liam's breath shuddered from him in a sob, and Theo looked up at him, meeting his gaze with his own.

"And then you pulled me out, I think. And I couldn't trust it, and I couldn't let myself feel anything. But I followed you and saved you and I tried to save as many people as I could so that I wouldn't hurt anymore when they dragged me back to hell," Theo croaked.

He looked frightened, and Liam's heart broke, and he had to touch Theo, had to pull him close and allow him to bury his face in Liam's neck and sob.

"You're never going back there," Liam said firmly. "Never, not as long as there is breath in my body. I will fight the devil himself if I must. You are my pack, and I would never, ever turn my back on you."

Theo pulled away and looked at him, eyes wide and lost.

"Are you real?" Theo asked. The vulnerability in Theo's eyes broke Liam in two.

He stared at him, and remembered something he had once read about anchoring yourself to reality by focusing on things you could see and feel. He grabbed Theo's hand and placed it over his heart, holding it in place with his own hand. "Close your eyes," Liam said softly. Theo complied, and took a deep, shuddering breath. "Focus on the sound of my heartbeat, of how it feels underneath your hand. Can you hear it?"

"Yes," Theo whispered.

"Can you feel it?" Liam asked.

"Yes," he replied, his hand twitching against Liam's chest.

"Can you hear the wind, and feel it on your face?" Liam asked.

Theo turned his head to the side slightly, but nodded.

"What else can you hear?" He asked. Theo frowned, concentrating.

"I can hear the birds in the trees. There's a lake nearby, I can hear the water lapping against the shore," Theo said. His heartbeat was slowing down, calming.

"Open your eyes," Liam instructed. "What can you see?" Theo complied, and looked around the small clearing they were in.

"Lots of trees, some wildflowers, and a tree branch has fallen over," Theo said, his eyes resting on each item for a moment before moving on to the next.

Liam cupped Theo's face in his hand and turned him back to look at him. "I am real, you are real, you are in the real world, Theo. You are not in hell, and you never will be again."

"Do you promise?" Theo whispered.

"I promise," Liam said.

Theo blinked a few times. "I'm real?"

"You're real," Liam confirmed, smiling at him sadly.

"Ok," Theo said softly. He looked around again, almost as if seeing it for the first time. "It's real," he whispered. "I'm not in hell."

"You're not in hell," Liam agreed.

"You saved me, like really saved me?" Theo said, an urgency in his voice that had not been there a moment ago. His eyes were alight with emotion, and they poured from him, stronger than anything Liam had ever felt from the other boy: _acceptance-hope-happiness-joy._

"I did," Liam said, "for entirely selfish reasons at the time. But I know now that it was the best thing I have ever done, because you never deserved to be there, Theo."

Theo lunged forwards and hugged him, almost breaking him in two with the force he used. "Thank you," Theo breathed.

"You're welcome," he said seriously, returning the other boys hug with a fierce protectiveness burning in his chest. He had wondered about Theo, but he had never known, had never realised exactly what the other boy was going through.

Mason had been right, Theo had been swallowing his emotions down so much that he hadn't been feeling anything, hadn't allowed himself to process anything that had happened to him. Now that he had let a little of that go, maybe Theo would be able to finally try and find some peace.

"Come on," Liam said as he stood slowly, starting to pull Theo up as well.

"Liam," Theo said, firmly resisting Liam's touch.

"What?" Liam asked, concerned.

"I'm not wearing any clothes," Theo said dryly.

Liam blinked, his eyes flicking over Theo's naked body, a blush appearing on his cheeks. He had been so busy soothing the other boy that he hadn't even noticed.

"Right, sorry," he said, dragging his eyes back up to meet Theo's gaze. Liam turned his back and cleared his throat.

Theo didn't say anything, and when Liam turned back a minute later, it was to find a black wolf staring up at him.

"Let's go," Liam said. The wolf yipped at Liam as he trotted alongside of him. Liam looked down at him as he walked, happy to have his beta back. He silently vowed that he would do everything in his power to help Theo heal. Theo was his responsibility, and Liam was determined to see him find true happiness, even if it wasn't with him.


	14. Chapter 14

By the time Theo and Liam got back to Brett's car, the rest of Liam's pack were assembled. Lori was in the car with Brett, a worried look on her face. Mason and Corey were both there as well, Mason pacing in front of his own car while Corey leaned against the passenger door, watching him.

"Hey," Liam said quietly, touched by the fact that all his friends were there.

"Thank God," Mason said, rushing towards them. His eyes flicked from Liam to Theo, who stood behind Liam's legs, still in his wolf form. "Are you ok, Theo?" Mason asked. Theo whuffed, and Liam reached back to place a hand on his head.

"Good," Corey said, coming to stand beside Mason. "We've been worried about you, you know?"

Theo blinked, looking at the them with curiousity. His hackles rose slightly as Brett and Lori got out of Brett's car and joined them as well. He weaved in front of Liam, placing himself firmly in front of the other boy.

"Relax, wolf-boy," Brett said with a smirk. "It's not like that."

"I let them join the pack," Liam explained quietly, hand rubbing gently across Theo's head, scratching lightly behind one ear. Theo looked up at him and shrugged his hand off him with a light growl. Liam raised his hands in surrender, smiling down at him. "Sorry," he murmured.

"Thank you," Lori said, dragging Liam's attention away from the wolf in front of him. "It means so much to us, Liam."

"You're more than welcome," Liam said warmly, smiling at her, at everyone in front of him, meeting each of their eyes in turn.

"You guys wanna come over? We can have a movie night or something," Liam offered. Everyone agreed, and Liam looked down at the wolf. "Theo?"

The wolfs tailed wagged twice, which Liam took as an affirmative.

"Alright, cool," Liam said, all action now. "We'll go get Theo's truck and meet you at my place, sound good?"

"Yeah, I'll just follow Mason," Brett said, twirling his keys in his hands.

They all got into their cars and left, and Theo turned around to look at him.

"You remember where you parked?" Liam asked. Theo lifted his lips in a snarl that made Liam chuckle as he took off back into the preserve. Liam followed him, his eyes glowing yellow as he tracked him. Theo was faster than him in this form, but he was weak after living rough, so Liam could keep pace with him easily.

Within five minutes they came to a path, which they followed for another minute before it turned into a road. Theo's truck was parked there.

Theo jumped up into the tray and snuffled around before yipping, keys held in his mouth. He trotted to the end of the truck and looked at Liam expectantly.

"You want me to drive?" Liam asked, surprised.

Theo nodded, the keys jangling.

"You're sure?" Liam asked again, holding his hand out. Theo dropped the keys into his hand and then jumped back onto the ground.

Theo's truck was like his child. Liam couldn't believe that Theo was trusting him with it. He opened the door for Theo to jump in and then went around to the other side, climbing in.

He had his license, of course, but his parents hadn't thought it wise to buy Liam his own car when he was still grappling with his IED. Sometimes, they let him borrow their car, but those times were few and far between.

"Want me to wind the window down for you?" He smirked at Theo. Theo snarled, and Liam laughed, turning the ignition and slowly turning the truck around.

At the wheel of Theo's truck, Liam felt powerful. "I can see why you like this thing so much," he grinned.

The ride back to his house was thrilling, though Theo growled at him if he went too fast or turned a corner too quickly. He pulled up in front of his house. Brett and Mason's cars were already there, but they had clearly let themselves in using the hidden spare key.

They got out of Theo's car and Liam looked down at him.

"You need anything from the car?"

Theo cocked his head at him.

"Like clothes?" Liam pressed. "Unless you want to wear some of mine again?" Theo considered this, and then started walking towards the front door. Liam smiled as he locked up Theo's truck and pocketed the keys. He had no issue with Theo wearing his clothes. The fact that Theo wanted to as well, lit a tiny beacon of hope in his heart.

"You can use my shower. Grab whatever you want from my room," Liam said quietly as he opened the door for Theo. "We'll be in the lounge when you're done." Theo nodded, and Liam quickly grabbed some clean clothes for himself and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Walking further down the hall, he let himself into his parent's room and walked into their ensuite. He showered quickly and got changed. When he walked back past his room, he could hear the shower.

"Hey guys," he said as he walked into the loungeroom. Corey sat in one of the arm chairs with Mason resting between his legs, while Brett and Lori were sprawled next to each other on one of the others. They had already put a movie on, one of the more recent marvel ones.

"Hey, how is he doing?" Mason asked.

Liam rubbed his eyes as he sat on the remaining couch and then ran a hand through his hair. "Better, I think."

"Will he stay, do you think?" Corey asked.

"I don't plan on giving him much of a choice," Liam muttered, a stubborn look on his face.

Brett, who had been watching this exchange with interest, commented. "Am I missing something?"

"Theo has been living out of his truck," Liam explained. "We decided to do something about it, and I fucked up monumentally."

"How?" Brett pressed.

"I let my feelings get in the way," Liam sighed. "I pushed him too far."

"Liam," Mason said softly. "It's not your fault."

"It is," Liam said firmly. "But I _will_ fix it. He can stay here, and I won't touch him, not if it's not what he wants."

"He's lucky to have someone who cares so much about him," Lori said, giving Liam a warm smile. Liam blushed, but nodded.

"I am lucky," Theo said in a hoarse voice from the doorway.

Liam turned to look at Theo and smiled at him. The other boy was dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie, his feet bare and his hair damp. "You look better," Liam commented.

"I feel better," Theo nodded, giving him a shaky smile. He walked slowly around the couch and sat down next to Liam. He inhaled Theo's scent, enjoying the mix of contentment and citrusy body wash that swirled around him.

They settled in to watch the movie, Theo's shoulder pressed into Liam's. Theo needed reassurance, and Liam was happy to give it to him, radiating calm and warmth.

They played another movie straight after, but Liam got up to go into the kitchen and make some food for everyone. Pasta was one of the few dishes he had mastered, so that would have to do. Theo followed and sat at the counter, watching him.

"You didn't fuck up," Theo said quietly after a few minutes.

"I did," Liam said, chopping vegetables with more force than was probably necessary.

"I should have talked to you," Theo replied. There was an intense look in his hazel eyes that made Liam want to look away, but he resisted the urge.

"I shouldn't have kissed you," Liam said, biting his lip. Theo frowned.

"You regret it?" He snapped.

Liam looked taken aback by the other boy's anger. "Not kissing you," he said slowly, "but upsetting you, yes."

"The kissing didn't upset me," Theo said, leaning back a little. Liam frowned, unsure how to take that remark. "The way I felt about you upset me," he continued.

Liam blinked as he took in this new information. "Did it scare you?" He whispered. Theo nodded. "It scares me too."

"I've never," Theo started, and then stopped with a frown. Frustration was clear on his face and he rubbed his chin.

Liam gave him a minute to gather his thoughts as he put the chopped-up vegetables into the pan. It sizzled straight away, and he adjusted the heat, stirring it slowly while Theo struggled for words behind him. Liam added the bottle of pasta sauce and some minced beef, put a lid over the top and turned it down to a simmer. He grabbed another saucepan, a big one and filled it with water, before setting it to boil. By the time he turned back to Theo, the other boy looked calmer.

"I've never done anything like this before," Theo said eventually. "I don't know what to do."

"You don't have to do anything," Liam said fiercely.

"I don't have to, no," Theo agreed with a faint smile. He got up slowly and moved around the counter until he stood right in front of Liam. "But I want to."

Theo leaned closer, looking down at his lips. Liam backed away slightly, and Theo stopped, looking at him with confusion.

"You don't need to pretend with me anymore," Liam said, clutching at his heart, which was thundering in his chest.

"I'm not," Theo said quietly.

"I couldn't stand it," Liam said, his lip trembling.

"This is real," Theo said, sliding his hand across Liam's cheek tenderly. "This is what I want." He leaned forward again, and pressed his lips to Liam's, exploring them softly. Liam held his breath. Was this a dream?

"It's real?" Liam asked, his eyes wide.

"It's real," Theo confirmed. He pulled Liam towards him for another kiss, and Liam tentatively returned it. Hope flooded him, and he buried his hands in Theo's hair as he pulled him close.

Theo's tongue swiped across his bottom lip and Liam opened his mouth, whimpering as Theo deepened the kiss.

After a few minutes of lazy, languid kisses, Theo pulled away.

"I think the water boiled," he said, giving Liam a sexy smirk over his shoulder as he walked away. He left the room and Liam rubbed at his bottom lip, stunned.


	15. Chapter 15

Theo could only remember flashes.

The devil had worn Tara's face. He didn't know if it was actually her or not. In the end, it didn't really matter.

She knew everything, every bad thing he had ever said or done, and she made him pay for it two-fold. She whipped him, poisoned him, stabbed him, peeled back his skin, taking out his every misdeed on his body.

She let him escape many times, sometimes for a few seconds, sometimes for months, but inevitably her hand would grab his ankle and she would smile at his pleas for mercy as she dragged him underground. That hurt more than the torture, not even being able to trust his mind. Had he truly escaped? Or had she just made him think he had?

He burned, and endured.

He escaped again, finding Liam and Hayden standing in front of him. Liam looking concerned as he held onto a sword. Theo roared. Tara was trying a new tact, one designed to cut to the bone.

There was a threat, and Theo cajoled his way into remaining a little longer, convincing Liam to break the sword. If Tara wasn't dragging him back, there was no reason to pre-empt things. But still, he swallowed down every emotion, determined not to give Tara a single weapon to use against him. He would do no evil, not willing to risk further torture, but he would not give in to the feelings stirring in his chest.

Liam hauled him around like a toy, into danger after danger, and even though every inch of Theo's being was screaming for him to run, he stayed.

They pushed and pulled at each other in a familiar battle of wills, but Theo's heart wasn't in it anymore. What was Tara trying to achieve? What was she going to do to Liam? The thought of the beta being hurt was one that Theo was no longer willing to accept.

There were fights, which Theo mostly remembers. The spaces in between are blank. He has no idea what he did, where he went. But every time Liam called, Theo went running straight back into the fray.

The Ghost Riders were defeated, and there was a long darkness, interrupted by irate policemen knocking on the window of his truck. He vaguely remembers a spider, but it disappeared when he stabbed it from his body, and he is even more convinced that this is an illusion.

He nearly calls Scott, but changes his mind before he can press the button. What would be the point? None of it was real.

The only constant is the nightmares. Again, and again Tara pulls her heart from his chest. This was the reality. Everything else was the dream.

His phone rings, three times, and he picks it up, seeing Liam's name.

"Hey, baby wolf, what's wrong?" Theo said.

"Don't call me that," Liam growled, his voice piercing the insanity. Theo blinked, but didn't respond. "Sorry, nothing's wrong. Just wondering if you were free this afternoon."

Theo frowned. His dream had taken a weird turn. He rubbed his chin, and decided to run with it. Humouring figments of his imagination couldn't do much more damage at this point.

"So, just to clarify, no one is dying, you just want to know if I have plans?" Theo asked him, a tinge of amusement colouring his tone.

"Yeah," Liam replied. "Mason and I are gonna hang out, maybe play some Halo and grab a pizza. Want to join us?"

"Uh, sure," Theo said. "Why not?"

"Cool, see you later then," Liam said.

"Bye," Theo said. He disconnected the phone and stared at it.

Being around Liam like this burned in a way that was entirely new to Theo. Something ignited in his chest, a spark that grew with every long look and teasing word. He was drawn to Liam like a moth to a flame, unable to deny him anything.

He lay in bed after a pleasant evening with Liam, Mason and Corey, waiting for the ground to swallow him. Surely, Tara would not allow him this happiness.

Instead, he had heard Liam touching himself in the shower, the soft moans and whines he made a delicious kind of torture that made his mouth dry. He ached for something he could not name, and long after Liam's heartbeat had evened out as he went to sleep, Theo stared at the ceiling, wide awake.

Eventually, he fell into a fitful sleep, and Tara stalked him through the hospital.

She ripped his heart out of his chest and he stared up at her, black blood running from his mouth. "It's ok," he said. He understood now. His heart was much more valuable when it belonged to another.

As if he had summoned him, he heard Liam's voice. He panicked. Liam didn't belong here. He belonged in his dreams, not his nightmarish reality.

"Theo," he said quietly. "Theo, wake up."

He frowned, turning his head. Tara was gone, as if Liam had banished her. He could not see Liam anywhere.

"It's ok, Theo. You're safe. I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you," he said.

"Liam," Theo whispered. He could feel himself fading, but he looked up and down each corridor, searching for him. Why was Liam here? How was it possible?

"Follow my voice," Liam instructed, "I'm right here."

He tried to sit up. "I can't," Theo muttered. He didn't have the strength to get up. For once, he could not come running when Liam called.

"I'll find you," Liam said. "Stay there and I'll come get you."

"Ok," Theo sighed, slumping back against the wall.

Liam had appeared moments later from the morgue, rushing towards him. He tried to talk to Theo, and he must have replied, but then his eyes slid shut. The nightmare began anew, and this time when Theo forced his way out of the drawer, Liam was standing there.

No, she can't have him, he thought, panicked. But he could do nothing as she caught them and stole Liam's heart. He howled his pain as the nightmare began again. He was a sobbing mess. This was the worst torture he had ever endured, he wasn't sure if he even could. His heart broke in two as he clung to Liam, the ache in his chest far more painful than anything Tara had ever inflicted.

Still, Liam stood in front of him, placing himself between him and his sister, a solid pillar of strength and determination.

"You want him, bitch? You'll have to go through me first," Liam snarled. Theo could feel the rumble in Liam's chest against his hands and face, pressed desperately into his back.

"Liam," he whispered. A plea to the heavens. Let him live. He didn't deserve to rot in this hell alongside Theo. He deserved happiness, and warmth, and love, only light.

Somehow, Tara is gone, and Theo drifts back into the dream.

He lies in Liam's bed, awe thrumming through his body, tingling through his extremities. Everything is tinged with light as he laughs and teases with Liam, bantering and wrestling until they both fall asleep.

Theo didn't want it to end. They had breakfast the next morning and Theo dressed in Liam's clothes, wearing the other boys scent like armour. Nothing bad could happen while Liam was with him.

While Liam is at school he drifts around town, Liam's scent keeping him grounded, present in a way that he has not been in a long time. He buys the alcohol and nicks some wolfsbane to go with it, bemused with the whole situation. If this is a dream, it's the strangest dream he's ever had.

He would do anything for it to be real.

That night, they drink and flirt, and the spark in Theo's chest turns into an inferno as Liam kisses him. He never wants to wake, never wants to feel anything again other than Liam's mouth against his own.

His control was shot. Emotions pouring from him as he lay against the tree, panting.

"That was a hell of a kiss," Theo said, eyes wide, lips tingling. His heart raced in his chest, and Liam returned to kiss him again. It was the happiest Theo had ever felt in his life. The ground rocked underneath him, foundations crumbling, the true danger finally revealing itself.

Theo took every scrap of attention and affection that Liam threw at him, grabbing it with both hands. Tara was only biding her time, but in the meantime Theo would enjoy every moment. He would regret it later, but with Liam's mouth on his it was hard to care.

After a week of bliss, something finally ruins it. Pain and sadness swirls around Liam when Theo picks him up from school, and he can't stand it.

Liam demands answers that confuse Theo. It was a dream, what did it matter whether he liked Liam or not? Negative emotions that Theo had thought he had escaped overwhelm him, and Liam flinches back.

There is a stony silence between them as he drives Liam home. Liam is hurt, and Theo doesn't understand why, doesn't understand why he can't let himself be happy, even in a dream. He has ruined it somehow, tainted it.

He runs to the woods, turning into a wolf and howling his pain to the world, running and running, almost daring Tara to come for him now.

The blankness is gone, and his pain demands to be felt. It is days before he stops, exhausted.

Liam finds him. He is crying, his pain echoing what thrums in Theo's chest. He turns back into a human and apologises. He wants the soft dream back, the feel of Liam's hands holding him close. He tries to explain to Liam, that he doesn't know how to be happy, that he had tried to enjoy the dream, that he wants so badly for it to be real.

The world tilts on its axis as Liam's heart beats under his hand. Liam orients him in this time and place, and the fuzzy edges of the world come into focus.

"I am real, you are real, you are in the real world, Theo. You are not in hell, and you never will be again."

Theo doesn't dare to hope, but Liam wouldn't lie. Liam never lies.

Liam's heartbeat is steady as he confirms that it's real, that the nightmare of hell is gone, has been gone this whole time. He hugs Liam, holds him to his chest as his mind races. It was all real, every look, every word, every kiss. Theo's heart aches in his chest as he takes this in. He feels cracked open, utterly vulnerable, as this momentous realisation settles in his bones.

Tara was never coming to drag him back. He was safe.

He follows Liam back to his place and stands in the shower, water sluicing over his shoulders as he washes the dirt from his body.

I'm real, he mouths the words at his reflection. I'm real.

He walks into the pack's conversation and agrees with Lori, he is lucky, blessed beyond all belief. He has a pack, at last, people who will stand alongside him through thick and thin. Contentment sinks into him as he takes strength from Liam's warmth in his side.

He doesn't see the movie, too caught up in his own head.

Liam deserves some answers, and he follows him to the kitchen.

They argue back and forth for awhile and Theo stalks towards him, finally present in this reality. He wants to kiss Liam for real, and he does, enjoying the taste of him, lost in the way Liam's heart thuds against his and his hands shake as he runs them through Theo's hair.

When Liam calls them all back in for dinner, Theo basks in Liam's hand at his back, stroking softly. He is surrounded by the light chatter of the others as they enjoy the meal.

This is real, and he is home.


End file.
